Unknowingly, and much to the despair of many iPad users who purchased a smart cover for around £30 from Apple, jailbreakers and hackers have now found an ideal way of overcoming any password lock put in to stop strangers from entering. This glitch allows the hacker to surpass the 4 digit code required to open the iPad, however, is personally set by the actual iPad owner. Trusting this to the bone, it looks like hackers have now used some glitch through the magnetic capability of the smart cover, to allow them access without ever having to torture the 4 digit code from the iPad owner.
And, as mentioned before, all that is needed is Apples unique, and much praised SmartCover. This was meant to be one of the unique features, and innovative methods of accessing the iPad 2, obviously released in conjunction and pushed out to many a iPad user. However now, the fact that it is magnetic has allowed hackers easy access through the front door, well they call it a back door access, meaning there is a loophole which has been discovered. The fact that the SmartCover is magnetic, enables the iPad screen to sense whether its closed or open, and acts respectively, using the electrostatic technology required for touchscreen.
However, it is exactly the iPads compliance to switch on, when it feels that there is no magnetic SmartCover, which allows hackers inside without a password. Therefore, convincing the iPad to overcome any password lock and enable access.
However, it is nigh on impossible to gain access to an individuals Mail or message system just by using these means.
And as we noted before, the iPad is conveniently fooled into opening even when a password is enabled. Interestingly, after the major hiccups when getting the iOS 5 online, we see that again, this iPad password hack emerges only weeks after the iOS 5 release, allowing hackers plentiful time to really enjoy themselves at all the little loopholes. With added speculation that it has affected the older iOS 4 carrying devices. Right now, hackers will only be able to access your iPad, and the last application in use, but not any further then that. We are banking on Apple to stamp this out before hackers manage to develop a method to enable them to traverse our iPads.
A security threat yes, as applications such as Mail, if they were to be the last used, would enable the hacker to search for rich private data, from bank details to addresses.
However, we recommend you simply disable the SmartCover unlock within your settings menu, until Apple release an official fix to combat this latest loophole.