Apple finally fixes lockscreen vulnerability with iOS 6.1.3 release

Apple has today released iOS 6.1.3, a minor software bump to eliminate the security vulnerability that had allowed the iPhone lockscreen to be bypassed by unauthorised users.

Through a complex combination of button presses, hackers had been able to crack iOS 6.1 and access the device's call log, contact list, and photo albums without entering the user's passcode.

The issue was first unearthed by hackers on February 14 and, while Apple almost immediately acknowledged the problem, a fix had not been forthcoming until now.

In the release notes for iOS 6.1.3 Apple promises to "fix a bug that could allow someone to bypass the lockscreen and access the Phone app."

Long time coming

After the problem came to light on February 14 Apple promised it was working on a solution, but it did not arrive with last month's iOS 6.1.2, which resolved a battery drain issue related to Microsoft Exchange.

At the time, a company spokesperson said: "Apple takes user security very seriously. We are aware of this issue and will deliver a fix in a future software update."

With that in mind, it can only be assumed that the security flaw took a little longer for Apple's iOS engineers to lock down. Twenty-nine days longer, to be precise.

There isn't a lot more to the update, aside from "various bug fixes" and "improvements to Maps in Japan."

So, all in all, it's great news if you're holidaying in the Land of the Rising Sun and worried about your iPhone being hacked. Double win.