The iPhone is pregnable

[NeonNinja]

Sorry if its been asked. Did you have fingerprint lock on your whatsapp?

Nope.

 

[Smiggles]

Sorry if its been asked. Did you have fingerprint lock on your whatsapp?

It’s called passkey.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Interesting they got into your WhatsApp but not banking apps, it tells me they managed to transfer your WhatsApp number probably with the help of insiders within the network or from your SIM card.
This could explain why they could get IG too any other META account linked to your number.

Had they got into your iPhone itself they would have taken over your iCloud/Apple account long ago….unless I missed this part.

I’ve lost 3 iPhones (Xs Max, 11 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max), each time it would be an hour or two before I put it into Lost Mode but I never worried about any compromise, none of them managed to get through into the phones, the big thing was to always first block the number and block the phones IMEI then throw it into Lost Mode the moment I got home.

So sorry for your experience, the fact that they did it at knife point is all the more traumatic too.

 

[Stickfigure]

I've had one or two iPhones stolen over the years. Put it into lost mode in Find My but then a few days later it's no longer listed. I assume they've removed it from my Apple ID? How do they do this though?

Even if you put an iPhone into DFU mode and factory reset it in iTunes, it's still tied to your Apple ID and asks for credentials when setting it up as a brand-new phone.

 

[JerryMungo]

I've had one or two iPhones stolen over the years. Put it into lost mode in Find My but then a few days later it's no longer listed. I assume they've removed it from my Apple ID? How do they do this though?

Even if you put an iPhone into DFU mode and factory reset it in iTunes, it's still tied to your Apple ID and asks for credentials when setting it up as a brand-new phone.

Only way is to get 2fa from you through phishing or go offline until a new vulnerability is found then crack it though that is less likely. That’s if it’s on the latest firmware to start with.

 

[R13...]

Interesting they got into your WhatsApp but not banking apps, it tells me they managed to transfer your WhatsApp number probably with the help of insiders within the network or from your SIM card.
This could explain why they could get IG too any other META account linked to your number.

Had they got into your iPhone itself they would have taken over your iCloud/Apple account long ago….unless I missed this part.

I’ve lost 3 iPhones (Xs Max, 11 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max), each time it would be an hour or two before I put it into Lost Mode but I never worried about any compromise, none of them managed to get through into the phones, the big thing was to always first block the number and block the phones IMEI then throw it into Lost Mode the moment I got home.

So sorry for your experience, the fact that they did it at knife point is all the more traumatic too.

They wouldn't even need network insiders if the SIM was open sesame.

 

[Adenoid Hynkel]

They wouldn't even need network insiders if the SIM was open sesame.

I've never understood why people remove the SIM pin.

 

[Progenix Oj101]

That's surprising. I had an iPhone stolen in 2020, and I kept getting emails asking for the pin. Here's an example:

Its Muhammed here, i was sold an iphone Xs on the street why looking in the phone i saw it have your email as the apple id, so here is the deal, cape town we sell it as parts to fix other phones (screen and battery) for about R3000, which i got the phone for R1000 and it profits me R2000, as human i want to do the right thing buy talking to you... im ready to give you R3000 for the passcode so you dont run at lost i know what it takes to loss a phone.. please email me back ASAP your cell number for the ewallet or account number, but firstly you have to give me the passcode, so its up to you or not, think about it you have until tomorrow by noon to decide

I traced the phone through most of Africa, finally ending in India in 2022-ish, but these mails continued sporadically until 2024.

 

[DarkStarMonday]

Interesting they got into your WhatsApp but not banking apps, it tells me they managed to transfer your WhatsApp number probably with the help of insiders within the network or from your SIM card.
This could explain why they could get IG too any other META account linked to your number.

Had they got into your iPhone itself they would have taken over your iCloud/Apple account long ago….unless I missed this part.

I’ve lost 3 iPhones (Xs Max, 11 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max), each time it would be an hour or two before I put it into Lost Mode but I never worried about any compromise, none of them managed to get through into the phones, the big thing was to always first block the number and block the phones IMEI then throw it into Lost Mode the moment I got home.

So sorry for your experience, the fact that they did it at knife point is all the more traumatic too.

Banking app's are different - if you use face recognition, the scan and security is within the app for the bank and not the iCloud/Apple/phone account.

I loaded my exact same Apple account on my old iPhone 11 for gaming purposes - my iPhone 16 will always use my face recognition or pin BUT the iPhone 11 ( with my exact details and same apps/email etc ) no pass code needed or face scan.

I even did that iPhone pomp where you pomp the 2 phones together - still didn't need a passcode or face scan on my iPhone 11 when they finished pomping.

Not so secure as people thought.

 

[NeonNinja]

I've never understood why people remove the SIM pin.

New SIMs past 10 years don't come with SIM pin.

 

[R13...]

New SIMs past 10 years don't come with SIM pin.

Sure they come with a default PIN but the iPhone has SIM PIN off by default. You have to switch it on and change the network default.

 

[NeonNinja]

Sure they come with a default PIN but the iPhone has SIM PIN off by default. You have to switch it on and change the network default.

That's a massive security oversight then. Or is it tailored more to places like the US/EU?

 

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Sure they come with a default PIN but the iPhone has SIM PIN off by default. You have to switch it on and change the network default.

The SIM card itself indicates if SIM PIN is on or off... it is disabled by default on many SIM cards I've received over the years.

 

[3Gee]

How does my WhatsApp backup restore to a completely random phone with no links to me or my Google Drive?

I can give it to you if people WhatsApped me AFTER the phone was stolen. They WhatsApped my father as I was looking without him saying anything that day.

They also accessed WhatsApp business BTW.

Check with MTN if a different IMEI was linked to your sim between the time you phone was taken and the sim blocked.

If a different IMEI number was linked to your SIM card a different phone was used to login to WhatsApp.

 

[NeonNinja]

Check with MTN if a different IMEI was linked to your sim between the time you phone was taken and the sim blocked.

If a different IMEI number was linked to your SIM card a different phone was used to login to WhatsApp.

I phoned MTN for insurance purposes and the IMEI I gave them was indeed on the number I have.

 

[cpu.]

On Android, if you add a new contact from within Whatsapp (message from unknown number), it save to Whatsapp contacts and copy to your phone's contacts.

Hopefully Apple don't allow that.

I do have phone grab/theft autolock on my phone.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Sure they come with a default PIN but the iPhone has SIM PIN off by default. You have to switch it on and change the network default.

The phone doesn’t define if a SIM card has a PIN or not.

It’s either on the SIM or it’s not.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

I've had one or two iPhones stolen over the years. Put it into lost mode in Find My but then a few days later it's no longer listed. I assume they've removed it from my Apple ID? How do they do this though?

Even if you put an iPhone into DFU mode and factory reset it in iTunes, it's still tied to your Apple ID and asks for credentials when setting it up as a brand-new phone.

Hmmm…that is interesting, there we no logins into your Apple ID account though?
Which iPhone models were they?
Both my lost 11 Pro Max and lost 15 Pro Max are still in my Find My, I removed the Xs Max back in 2020, but had already emailed Apple on that report email to block the phone as well if someone tries to reactivate it somewhere else.
Lost the 11 PM in 2022.
Lost the 15 PM in 2024.
They are simply sitting like this now in Find My.

New SIMs past 10 years don't come with SIM pin.

My current SIM is from 2024 and I have PIN set, I cannot remember if it came with one but I wanted to sure I set one.