Siri, a hacker’s accomplice?!

Reports are flooding the web that Siri, the voice-recognition-based digital assistant on the iPhone 4S, may actually make it easier for people to access private data on your device… with a passcode lock! By default, it’s possible to access Siri even when your phone is locked with a passcode. In theory this makes sense – instead of having to unlock your phone to send a text, you just have to bring up Siri and have her do all the heavy lifting.
However, the problem arises when an unwanted individual discovers that it’s possible to access private data like calendar appointments, text messages and emails just by asking nicely, no matter if the phone is locked or not.

Now, there’s a pretty simple solution – in the Passcode Lock settings, just switch Siri to “Off”. This will mean that you can no longer access your favorite digital assistant when your device is locked, but it also means that no one else can either. And, of course, Siri will still be fully functional if the phone is unlocked.

It’s an unfortunate but true fact that people will take advantage of this security flaw. For that reason, if you have any sensitive data on your device, it’s probably a good idea to disable Siri from the lock screen.
Siri, I’m disappointed in you…

Via: Gizmodo

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