A Forensics Tool Defeats the iPhone's Reboot Lock (10/01/2026)

Apple added an automatic reboot to locked iPhones so that a phone sitting in an evidence locker would return to its most protected state after three days without use. It was a small, specific protection aimed squarely at forensic tools, and today a forensic tool vendor is telling police it has found a way around it. That is the normal rhythm of this contest, and it is a reminder that a protection you did not configure yourself can change underneath you without notice.

Top 5 Critical Privacy Alerts

1. GrayKey Maker Says It Can Defeat the iPhone Inactivity Reboot

A leaked video shows Magnet Forensics, the maker of the GrayKey phone extraction tool, describing a GrayKey Preserve device and an Evidence Preservation Mode that keep a seized iPhone in the state it enters once the passcode has been used since startup, where data is easier to reach, instead of letting Apple’s 72-hour inactivity reboot return it to the protected state where data stays encrypted until the passcode is entered, per 404 Media. The approach appears to cut Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular signals and manipulate the phone’s clock, and a Magnet employee called it “an absolute game changer for iOS forensics.” Apple and Magnet did not comment.

Operator Note: Turning a phone fully off before a border crossing or any situation where it could be taken returns it to that protected state, where data stays encrypted until the passcode is entered. That habit protects company data on staff phones regardless of what any tool can do with a phone left on.

2. Nearly Every Automaker Sends Driving Data to Outside Companies

Researchers at Northeastern University working with Consumer Reports traced data flowing between vehicles, carmakers’ apps, and third parties, finding that nearly every automaker sent data to outside companies, including insurers and lenders in telematics data exchanges and data brokers building risk scores, per Schneier on Security. Nearly a quarter of vehicle apps transmitted personal information such as owners’ names, vehicle identification numbers, and precise locations.

Operator Note: Fleet vehicles report where your people go. Check what your fleet contracts and the manufacturers’ connected services share, and with whom, before an insurer or a broker knows your routes better than you do.

3. Newsom Vetoes a Ban on Secret Recording With Smart Glasses

Governor Newsom vetoed SB 1130, which would have made it unlawful to secretly record people with wearable devices such as smart glasses and fined manufacturers that did not comply, per TechCrunch. Newsom said the bill defined wearable recording devices “too broadly or imprecisely” and duplicated protections already in California law.

Operator Note: No state law is coming to settle this for you. If smart glasses are a concern in your offices, clinics, or meeting rooms, put it in your own policy and tell visitors at the door.

4. The UK Replaces Its Information Commissioner With a Commission

Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the UK’s Information Commissioner was replaced on September 30 by an Information Commission, with statutory powers held by a board instead of a single person, per The Register. The regulator keeps the ICO name and its powers, has moved its headquarters to Manchester, and lists AI, cyber resilience, children’s privacy, and public services as priorities.

5. New South Wales Pilots Age Proof Without the Whole License

New South Wales will pilot an upgrade to its digital driver’s licenses that lets holders prove their age with selective disclosure, showing that they are over the threshold without handing over the rest of the license, per Biometric Update. Showing a physical license to buy alcohol hands over a name, address, and date of birth to answer a yes or no question.

Additional Privacy Alerts

Regulatory Fines & Enforcement Actions

• A California appeals court refuses to revive a surveillance tech CEO’s lawsuit against a journalist: The EFF calls it a win for reporting on surveillance companies. EFF

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