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Part III: Hacking Network Hosts
Mobile apps can introduce a slew of security vulnerabilities into your environment,
especially certain apps available for Android via Google Play that aren’t
properly vetted. In recent source code analysis using Checkmarx’s
CxDeveloper (see Chapter 14), I’ve found these apps to have the same flaws as
traditional software, such as SQL injection, hard-coded encryption keys, and
buffer overflows that can put sensitive information at risk. The threat of malware
is just as great. Apps are yet another reason to get your mobile environment
under control using MDM and, if resources permit, your own app store.
Cracking iOS Passwords
I’d venture to guess that many phone and tablet passwords (really, they’re
just 4-digit PINs) can be guessed outright. A mobile device gets lost or stolen
and all the person recovering it has to do is try some basic number combinations
such as 1234, 1212, or 0000. Soon, voilà! — the system is unlocked.
Many phones and tablets running iOS, Android, and Blackberry OS are configured
to wipe the device if the incorrect password is entered X number of
times (often 10 failed attempts). A reasonable security control indeed. But
what else can be done? Some commercial tools can be used to crack simple
passwords/PINs and recover information from lost or stolen devices or
devices undergoing a forensics investigation.
Elcomsoft’s iOS Forensic Toolkit (http://ios.elcomsoft.com) provides
a means for demonstrating just how easily passwords/PINs on iOS-based
phones and tablets can be cracked. Here’s how:
1. Plug your iPhone/iPod/iPad into your test computer and place it into
Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU) mode.
To enter DFU mode, simply power the device off, hold down the Home
button (bottom center) and sleep button (upper corner) at the same
time for 10 seconds, and continue holding down the Home button for
another 10 seconds. The mobile device screen goes blank.
2. Load the iOS Forensic Toolkit by inserting your USB license dongle
into your test computer and running Tookit.cmd.
You see the screen shown in Figure 10-5.