Expert reveals two settings changes to avoid ‘stolen phone’ nightmare
IF you don’t want your iPhone data stolen, turning on two settings can help.
Helsinki-based cybersecurity company F Secure warned in a new blog post that bad actors are constantly trying to steal unlocked iPhones.
“If you’ve never lost your smartphone or had it stolen, you probably know someone who has,” says the blogging is reading.
“iPhone theft is a lucrative business for criminals when devices are unlocked,” the report continued.
In such cases, the scary part is not that you have lost your device, but that your data and information could fall into the wrong hands.
Gaining access to your accounts could leave you out of money or even in trouble with the law, depending on the actions taken by threat actors.
To protect your data if your phone is stolen, F Secure has shared two settings that you should enable now.
PROTECTION AGAINST STOLEN DEVICE
Apple has released a new tool in recent months called Stolen Device Protection.
Stolen Device Protection “adds a layer of security when your iPhone is away from known locations, such as home or work,” according to Apple’s website.
It works by requiring biometric authentication for certain actions, such as accessing saved passwords or credit cards.
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SECURITY DELAY
A second feature of Stolen Device Protection that you should enable, says F Secure, is Security Delay.
If your iPhone is stolen, security delay prevents a thief from performing critical actions.
The tool does this by enforcing a one-hour wait period before security actions like changing your Apple ID password.
After the hour is up, users will need to perform a second Face ID or Touch ID authentication.
During this period, users can mark their devices as lost and ensure their Apple account is safe.
HOW TO ENABLE PROTECTION AND SECURITY DELAY FOR STOLEN DEVICE
Stolen Device Protection is available with iOS 17.3 or later and must be enabled before the device is lost or stolen.
You can enable Stolen Device Protection from Settings:
- Go to Settings and then tap Face ID & Passcode.
- Enter your device passcode.
- Tap Stolen Device Protection, then turn Stolen Device Protection on or off.
Once you’ve done that, choose ‘Always’ under Require Security Delay.
By default, the additional security measures are only required if your iPhone is away from known locations.
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