Users Facing 'Error 53' Bricking Message After Third-Party iPhone 6 Home Button Repairs

[RoyalElephant]

When your car stores all of your banking information and personal data, I'm pretty sure you won't want the Non-Honda garage to repair your door with an aftermarket door with a security measure built into it.

You can store all your banking information in a car, I seen someones banking info in their car about 30 minutes ago.
You can store as much info in a car as in a phone. This is just getting really silly now. lol

 

[ogun7]

Wrong! Not when it involves the fingerprint scanner and it's attachment to the secure enclave. Without this security, anyone could hack an iPhone by replacing the sensor. Think!

Reading the most liked comments in this thread made me feel good about our community here on MacRumors. I love you guys & gals.

 

[damir00]

Sorry, I'm with Apple on this one.

Me too. In fact I'm rather impressed they thought security out that far.

The fingerprint sensor is crucial to protecting the privacy of the device's content - Apple is doing the right thing.

 

[Gudi]

You forget most apple users do NOT have a store near their homes!

And you forget that security is compromised by a third-party finger print sensor no matter how far away the next Apple Store is.

 

[Peepo]

Either there's info missing from MR's article, or the explanation doesn't entirely hold water. Partially, yes. Completely, no. If it just about the security, then Touch ID shouldn't work after the repair. Again, according to the article, that's not the case. Touch ID does work using the replacement home buttons. The error-53 message only appears after an update to the latest version of iOS. If that is indeed the case, the security isn't secure and it sort of nullifies the reasoning of avoiding security compromises.

In my mind, if it's about security, the replacement home button would cease to work immediately. That's security. Requiring an update to trigger the Error-53 really isn't. Fairly, there's most likely a lot I'm missing, but if the article is correct, Error-53 doesn't prevent installing unapproved Touch ID sensors; hacked or otherwise.

So then you are implying that there is no such thing as security updates for anything? Maybe this was something originally overlooked by Apple, which was brought to their attention by companies making unauthorized touch ID sensors and these repair shops installing in iPhones. They did a software update to fix. Your line of thinking means that nobody should be providing security updates after the product ships. And how do you know that the replacement Touch ID will work or not after the repair if the iPhone is currently on this newest version now?

 

[Art Mark]

Why?

If my iPhone is out of warranty, then I should be able to have it repaired by who ever I want.

I can see why it might be a good thing to avoid circumventing the security on stolen phones, but from a user standpoint who wants a repair, apple repairs aren't exactly the cheapest, or in the UK and other countries where apple stores are only in big cities, its a pain in the rear not being able to take it to a local phone shop.

I think you are overreacting. When our entire lives are on a phone - security must be an important aspect. And as mentioned below you don't need an Apple store. You need an Apple authorized repair shop that theoretically has reason to not cheap out and use those new cheap sensors from an unknown source that also sends all your data off at some point or sends the credentials fro your finger print to a third party ETC. Just calm down and think about how best to safeguard tight stuff. This isn't an outrageous situation.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Nice...

My Touch ID sensor doesn't work worth a poop. I setup so many fingers, and they work two or three times, and then nothing. So much for looking for a local fix.

I understand where they are coming from, but it seems like a very thin branch they are walking on for this issue...

 

[RedWing512]

How much is a repair from a 3rd party? Apple charges $150 for out of warranty screen replacements on a 6 plus. Everyone around me charges that for a 6 or 5s. I've been fixing them for friends and family since the first iPhone came out, cheapest I can get screens for a 6 plus is $90. Admittedly I don't have the connections 3rd party repair stores have but if you say they manage to get them for $60 and charge $110-120 why would I do that instead of the extra $30 directly from Apple?

I know this has nothing to do with me, but if you really read their comment, you'd understand it's all about the convenience. Not everybody has an Apple Store or approved repair center nearby. I happen to live in a rural area with no such things nearby. If I had the choice of staying nearby and getting my phone fix locally as opposed to sending it off or having to travel out-of-town/out-of-state, I'd personally choose the former.

 

[Rafagon]

I actually believe it should perform the check to ensure a legitimate Apple home button is in place, properly installed and re-paired, every single time Touch ID is used.

If it's only happening after a software update or restore, or two software updates (or however many), it means that a maliciously-installed home button will allow the malicious user to get away with his or her nefarious actions until such time as he or she decides to perform a software update (or two).

Apple should brick the device with error 53 immediately after the unauthorized "repair"!

 

[joueboy]

If they really care for your protection then the security feature should already been available prior iOS 9. Hhhmmm???

 

[rmverdi]

It is Apple's way to get more money from Apple fans. Make the home button that break easily and charge them ridiculous amount of money to fix it.

Any thing that make Apple gets more money is banned and brick the phone. LOL

Maybe you should try and understand how the touch ID technology works before you make asinine comments like this... The Touch ID sensor is paired with the main board in the phone. It's all about security. I am glad knowing that my home button cannot be replaced by a 3rd party component, That home button is tied to my Apple Pay account, used to verify when I purchase apps, books, music, etc. Imagine a 3rd party touch sensor that "skims" your ID and gives a malicious user full access to credit cards, etc. Apple, as of right now is one of the only consumer technology companies that gives a **** about privacy and security.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Software thinks it has detected an attempted hack (or potential for attempted hack), I don't want the response to be the absolute minimum or that leaves potential attack vectors open. I want my phone to go president madagascar on the situation.

I suggested to disable touch-id entirely in such a situation. Leaving a dumb-button does not open up any other attack vectors (that aren't already there anyway on a non-touch-id iphone).

 

[aldrinjtauro]

From what I've seen, once an phone has had a third-party repair that would cause it to Error 53 if restored, it won't have working Touch ID anyway.

 

[oneMadRssn]

This is kind of like safes that disable themselves when they detect tampering. If someone is trying to break into my phone and they have the technology that could send a signal to emulate my finger print, I won't my phone to detect this and brick itself, so that no other type of tampering will allowed.

I understand the paranoia, but I think the emphasis here is misplaced. If someone wanted to inject malicious firmware-level code into your phone, they would do so through one of those public USB charging stations, or a cheap USB AC-adapter. A lot more can be done though USB. I don't mean to deflect just for the sake of deflecting, the idea of a compromised touch-id unit is just so silly - it's like worrying about the possibility of someone pushing in poison gas through your dryer-vent while you leave the front door wide open for anyone to talk in.

I can't imagine anyone selling compromised touch-id sensors for this purpose for a number of reasons. First, the touch-id assembly is tiny, there is really not much room on there for additional ICs. Second, the interface is totally proprietary and unknown.

If you're worried about security, I would suggest being paranoid about USB chargers and public charging stations, where it has already been demonstrated that those can inject malicious code into iOS devices.

 

[ENduro]

You're fixing it wrong.

 

[Thunderhawks]

It is Apple's way to get more money from Apple fans. Make the home button that break easily and charge them ridiculous amount of money to fix it.

Any thing that make Apple gets more money is banned and brick the phone. LOL

For starters I have NEVER had the home button of any iPhone fail. 3G, 4S and now 6S Plus
Doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

I would NEVER think of having my Apple home button be repaired by anybody but Apple (genius bar or mail it in)

You are barking up the wrong tree with this assumption.

Apple is doing exactly what it should do here. Protecting the iPhones security feature.

 

[raybo]

If they really care for your protection then the security feature should already been available prior iOS 9. Hhhmmm???

That's one of the primary reasons the iOS update...do you work for Samsung?

 

[senohpoxas88]

Me too. In fact I'm rather impressed they thought security out that far.

The fingerprint sensor is crucial to protecting the privacy of the device's content - Apple is doing the right thing.

Totally with Apple on this one. If security got compromised from a bad part, they would be liable, and the customer would have no idea.

Now, whether they could have made it to just permanently disable Touch ID instead of bricking the phone is another question..

 

[apmos]

There is no such country, Macedonia. It's called FYROM.

 

[RedWing512]

And you forget that security is compromised by a third-party finger print sensor no matter how far away the next Apple Store is.

Then it's up to Apple to make those official parts more readily available. Bricking them out of their phones because they are too far away from a store AND forcing them to use 3rd-party parts because Apple thumbs their nose at anyone who isn't in their repair "clique" is a jerk move.

 

[gaximus]

Its not the ignition system that does that, its the immobiliser.

The point is the components can be replaced by anyone, without stopping the car from working at all. I can work and replace components on my own car, without rendering it useless too.

So you saying that if I break into a car and replace the ignition with a one I have, I could just start the car and drive away??

 

[Plutonius]

I am sure if I replace figureprint sensor on Nexus 6P, I will not brick that phone.

Admit it, Apple just want your money

They probably do but it also shows that Google has no concern for security.

 

[scotio200]

If apple sell the official replacement parts to 3rd party repairers. Which I believe they will only supply AASP companies.

However they will also not allow AASP companies to repair iOS devices, only OS X devices.

*in the UK, I don't know about elsewhere

Incorrect AASP's can now offer service on iOS devices including modular repairs on iPhones.
The AASP can however decline to offer the service, its not a requirement.

I work for an AASP and we decided not to offer these repairs

 

[applezulu]

Why? The finger print sensor doesn't store the fingerprint data as it is on another chip encrypted and it is just a numerical representation that is not possible to actually get the actual fingerprint. This is a load of rubbish on Apples part and this is only tip of iceberg.

The reader is part of an "enclave" that sandboxes your fingerprint data. The storage of that data is not the only security concern. The whole process from the reader inward is be tied together. Allowing that reader-to-storage chain to be broken would allow the entire system to be hacked.

Count me as pleased that Apple places a virtual razorwire fence around this "encalve."

 

[Martian_Marky]

Why?

If my iPhone is out of warranty, then I should be able to have it repaired by who ever I want.

I can see why it might be a good thing to avoid circumventing the security on stolen phones, but from a user standpoint who wants a repair, apple repairs aren't exactly the cheapest, or in the UK and other countries where apple stores are only in big cities, its a pain in the rear not being able to take it to a local phone shop.