I've read about this on several sites and I've decided it's worth
reposting. Here's the summary: you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
Your home button is not functioning or has broken, perhaps due to a lot
of presses. You don't want to go to an Apple store to get it repaired
because you think that a third-party repair shop can do it for a cheaper
price. You go to the third party, your phone is repaired and all seems
well. Until you update your iOS device to the next version of iOS, which
then causes your unit to say "error 53" and your device becomes a brick.
This has surfaced recently and Apple now confirms this. Here's one of
the articles about this from RedmondPi.
redmondpie.com
iPhone 6 Error 53: Third-Party Touch ID Repairs Will Brick The Device,
Confirms Apple | Redmond Pie
Paul Morris
Apple has taken the opportunity to acknowledge that any third-party
repair to the Touch ID Home button on the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus can
eventually result in the device being bricked when iOS is updated on the
device. Rather than being an error and something that has slipped
through the net, Apple is confirming that this is indeed a deliberate
security feature designed to protect users.
The problem appears to have been affecting a growing number of users who
have opted to have some kind of unofficial repair work carried out on
the Home/Touch ID button or connecting cable internally. Those affected
users have been receiving “error 53″ when trying to update the device
firmware via iTunes, and as yet have not found a way to actually get the
device back up and running.
Kyle Wiens of iFixit has previously shone light on the issue by
highlighting that the “error 53″ page on his site has been had more than
183,000 hits. That number along provides a fairly decent indication that
the problem is being experienced by a far reaching set of users:
The problem occurs if the repairer changes the home button or the cable.
Following the software upgrade the phone in effect checks to make sure
it is still using the original components, and if it isn’t, it simply
locks out the phone.
It all sounded a little difficult to believe, until Apple actually
chimed in with an official response that outlines the intended behaviour
designed to protect the Secure Enclave within the device:
We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely
paired to the Touch ID sensor. When iPhone is serviced by an authorised
Apple service provider or Apple retail store for changes that affect the
touch ID sensor, the pairing is re-validated. This check ensures the
device and the iOS features related to touch ID remain secure. Without
this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted,
thereby gaining access to the secure enclave. When iOS detects that the
pairing fails, touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device
remains secure.
Rose Gold iPhone 6s
The explanation from Apple actually makes perfect sense. There will
likely be a heap of affected users who are outraged by the fact that
Apple is purposely running checks to determine whether or not it should
brick the device, rendering it unusable. However, all it would take is
for one security breach related to this type of repair for Apple to find
itself in a publicity nightmare relating to security. Whether or not
there is a way to bring the device back to life is still up in the air.
(source: The Guardian)
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist Feel free to visit my
Web site WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
--
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
for additional resources and information about assistive technology training
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