Is there a way to protect iPhone 3GS data when phone is lost/stolen?

[DaveTo]

Hello, I am not sure this topic was discussed but I thought I would start a thread about this. Since it is a well known fact that the iPhone 3GS data encryption is a joke is there a way to prevent a thief from retrieving data on an iPhone?

Here is a scenario:
iPhone gets stolen, thief takes out SIM card to prevent remote wipe (not sure that would even help), thief jailbreaks iPhone and accesses entire file system via SSH.

I thought this was ironic, but would it help if people jailbreak their iPhones and change the root password to prevent a hacker from doing this first?

My company is thinking of deploying iPhones and from all the articles I've read, the iPhone's security can be bypassed in comparison to the Blackberry just by having a paper clip.

Not sure if anyone has ever given it too much thought but maybe we can start a discussion on how to protect the data on your iPhone in case it gets lost or stolen.

Anyone else worried?

 

[Applejuiced]

Enter Passcode lock.
Select Erase data after 10 failed passcode attempts

 

[DaveTo]

Can't the iPhone be jailbroken without entering a passcode?

Enter Passcode lock.
Select Erase data after 10 failed passcode attempts

 

[Applejuiced]

You could jailbreak it but still you wouldnt be able to get passed the passcode screen after reboot.
Your average thief would just steal/find the iphone and then try a bunch of times to guess the passcode. After 10 times it would delete everything.

 

[DaveTo]

From my understanding, once you jailbreak, the passcode you set is gone? Do I have it wrong?

You could jailbreak it but still you wouldnt be able to get passed the passcode screen after reboot.
Your average thief would just steal/find the iphone and then try a bunch of times to guess the passcode. After 10 times it would delete everything.

 

[tigres]

There is also remote wipe on find my phone via mm.

If stolen, you can remote wipe it as long as it's on.

 

[Applejuiced]

From my understanding, once you jailbreak, the passcode you set is gone? Do I have it wrong?

Im not positive.
Im not sure about redsnow or quickpwn if they removing the passcode after JB.
With Blackrain once it restarts after the JB is done its back to the normal lockscreen.

 

[DaveTo]

If the SIM card is taken out, that won't work.

There is also remote wipe on find my phone via mm.

If stolen, you can remote wipe it as long as it's on.

 

[scaredpoet]

If the SIM card is taken out, that won't work.

It will if the phone is still connected to WiFi, remote wipe will work.

It's an interesting irony though: the argument is that jailbreaking makes the phone inherently vulnerable to unauthorized data access. But imagine the hell Apple will catch when they actively work to close the loopholes that allow it?

 

[DaveTo]

More reason for the thief not to use WiFi while getting the "job" done.

It will if the phone is still connected to WiFi, remote wipe will work.

Why would Apple catch hell by trying to close a loophole?

But imagine the hell Apple will catch when they actively work to close the loopholes that allow it?

 

[archipellago]

Apple should have thought more about security when they designed the OS.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/07/23/iphone-security-broken-business-users-take-note/