Felons wanting to best forensic investigators need only perform a factory reset of all current model iPhones, say forensic security experts.
Apple’s decision to encrypt data on the iPhone is responsible for this state of affairs because a factory reset not only wipes data but also erases the decryption key required to reveal the handset’s contents, according to Jason Solomon, a forensics investigator with Sydney-based Klein and Co.
“This means we can’t get a full physical image of the phone,” Solomon said. “The whole phone is encrypted and the keys are stored on the device, so when you erase the phone you erase the key and [forensics] can’t decrypt it…”
