37. 2.3.7.2. HOW TO TURN ON THE LOST MODE OR LOCK A DEVICE? ...... http://www.ijisme.org/attachments/File/v1i2/B0111011213.pdf while referring to the type of contents required for the ...... Turn the device on and slide to unlock.
iCloud and Its Security Issues in Relation with Find My iPhone Application dissertationsubmitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the Degree of
Master of Technology in Computer Engineering (Computer Science &Engineering) (with specialization in Computer Engineering) Session: 2014 – 2015
Advisor:
Submitted by:
Mr. Sanjay Agal
SampreshitaMaheshwari Enrollment number: PU13-3324
Faculty of Engineering Department of Computer Science & Engineering Pacific University (PAHER), Udaipur (Rajasthan) January 2016
AFFIDAVIT I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the M. Tech Dissertation entitled “iCloud and Its Security Issues in Relation with Find My iPhone Application” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Master of Technology in Computer Science & Engineering and submitted to the Department of Computer Science& Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pacific University (PAHER), Udaipur is an authentic record of my own work carried out during a period from Jan 2015 to July 2015 under the supervision of Mr. Sanjay Agal, Advisor, Pacific University, Udaipur. The matter presented in this thesis has not been submitted by me for the award of any other degree elsewhere.
Signature of candidate (SampreshitaMaheshwari) M Tech, Computer Science & Engineering Enrolment No.: PU13-3324 _________________________________________________________________________________ This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of my knowledge.
Head
Signature of Supervisor
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Mr. Sanjay Agal
Faculty of Engineering
Supervisor
Prof Tanveer A. Kazi (Dean, Faculty of Engineering)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am deeply indebted to Pacific University for giving me an opportunity to work on thesis “iCloud and Its Security Issues in Relation with Find My iPhone Application” and also for their invaluable guidance and patience with me. I would like to thank Dean FOE Prof. T.A Kazi for his valuable suggestions. I profusely thank Ms. DeeptiNatawat, Head, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pacific University (PAHER), Udaipur for providing me all the facilities and the very best technical and support infrastructure to carry on my work. I would also like to thank Mr. Sanjay Agal (Advisor) for his support and cooperation in preparing the thesis topic of research and guiding me. I thank him again for the valuable inputs and providing me his valuable time for starting the thesis work. I would like to thank all the user and Colleagues who extended help directly or indirectly during my thesis. I acknowledge the effort of those who have contributed significantly to my thesis and last but not the least I would like to thank all my M. Tech. friends for their continuous support and cooperation. I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound sense of gratitude and respect to all those who helped me throughout the duration of this thesis.
Yours Sincerely, SampreshitaMaheshwari (M. Tech., Computer Science & Engineering)
ABSTRACT The iCloud technology is one of the recent and the most brilliant service created and hosted by the Apple Inc. Its main function is to serve as a backup system on all Apple products. Instead of having the trouble of remembering to back-up the files such as music, photos, and other such files; the data on the iDevice is automatically backed-up using this iCloud service each and every time the device is plugged-in to a charger and connected over the Wi-Fi network. With the introduction of this iCloud service, things like backup, storage, and sharing have now become easier and efficient than ever. Another important benefit is the simplicity of backup, which has now become as simple as charging the iDevice. When using this iCloud service, all of the data is put into the "cloud" system, and this data can now be retrieved by the other iDevices using the same iCloud account. The Find My iPhone, was formerly a part of the MobileMe architecture, is the application which allows the users of the iPhone or other iDevices to track the location of their iPhone or other iDevices when it gets either lost or stolen. The user of the application will be able to see the iPhone’s (almost) approximate location on the map, display a message onto the iPhone, and/or play a sound on the iPhone (even if the iPhone is on the silent mode), change the password on the iPhone, and also remotely erase the contents of the iPhone. The Find My iPhone application was made free of charge with iOS 4.2.1 software update, but this was only for devices introduced in 2010 and thereafter. There was another iOS app released by Apple around June 2010, which allowed the users to locate their device from another iOS devices running on iOS 4 or later. With every upgrade to the application or the software there was a new feature added which made the application more efficient in tracking the lost or stolen device. There are similar phone finder services or applications under various names, which are equally good enough, also are available for other types of smartphones. Some research will also be required to make the security of the iCloud service strict. In order to have a more secure iCloud system, the employees at the Apple support are now only allowed to send the password reset emails to the email addresses on record with the account and are not allowed to set the temporary passwords during support calls. Nevertheless, research must also be done to secure the iCloud service by making the integrated networks more secure. The iCloud service has been able to be the most beneficial and informative service for all of the Apple users today. Despite of multiple ethical, security, and social concerns, the pros, by some means, have outweigh the cons while using this service on any of the iDevices.
Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................. I LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ III CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................................... 2
1.2
QUESTION OF THE RESEARCH ................................................................................................... 4
1.3
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................... 5
1.4
DEFINITIONS............................................................................................................................. 6
1.5
DELIMITATIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND ASSUMPTIONS ................................................................. 7
1.5.1.
DELIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................ 7
1.5.2.
LIMITATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 8
1.5.3.
ASSUMPTIONS ................................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 9 2.1.
WHAT IS ICLOUD? .................................................................................................................... 9
2.1.1.
THE ICLOUD FEATURES ................................................................................................... 10
2.1.2.
ARCHITECTURE OF ICLOUD ............................................................................................. 14
2.1.3.
TYPES OF CLOUD ............................................................................................................ 14
2.1.4.
RUNNING THE ICLOUD CONFIGURATION ......................................................................... 15
2.1.5.
OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS OF ICLOUD .......................................................................... 16
2.1.6.
LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES .......................................................................................... 16
2.1.7.
SECURITY CONCERNS ..................................................................................................... 17
2.1.8.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS .......................................................................................................... 18
2.2.
WHAT IS IPHONE? .................................................................................................................. 19
2.3.
THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ...................................................................................... 22 i
2.3.1.
GETTING STARTED WITH THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ........................................ 23
2.3.2.
FINDING FAMILY MEMBERS’ DEVICES ............................................................................. 23
2.3.3.
THE ACTIVATION LOCK .................................................................................................. 23
2.3.4.
SETTING UP THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ............................................................ 23
2.3.4.1.
SETTING UP AN IOS DEVICE ..................................................................................... 24
2.3.4.2.
SETTING UP A MAC DEVICE ..................................................................................... 31
2.3.4.3.
SHARE THE USER LOCATION WITH FAMILY MEMBERS .............................................. 31
2.3.5.
LOCATING THE DEVICE ................................................................................................... 31
2.3.6.
PLAYING A SOUND ON THE DEVICE .................................................................................. 33
2.3.7.
USING THE LOST MODE .................................................................................................. 36
2.3.7.1.
WHAT IS THE LOST MODE?...................................................................................... 37
2.3.7.2.
HOW TO TURN ON THE LOST MODE OR LOCK A DEVICE? ......................................... 37
2.3.7.3.
TRACKING THE DEVICE IN THE LOST MODE ............................................................. 39
2.3.7.4.
TURNING OFF THE LOST MODE OR CHANGING THE CONTACT INFO .......................... 40
2.3.8.
ERASING THE USER DEVICE ............................................................................................. 40
2.3.8.1.
ERASING THE DEVICE OR A FAMILY MEMBER’S DEVICE ........................................... 41
2.3.8.2.
AFTER A DEVICE IS SET TO ERASE ............................................................................ 42
2.3.9.
THE ACTIVATION LOCK .................................................................................................. 43
2.3.9.1.
CHECKING A DEVICE’S ACTIVATION LOCK STATUS ................................................. 43
2.3.9.2.
ERASE A DEVICE BEFORE SELLING IT OR GIVING IT AWAY ........................................ 44
2.3.10. REMOVE THE DEVICE FROM THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION .................................... 44 2.3.10.1.
REMOVE AN IOS DEVICE OR MAC COMPUTER BY TURNING OFF THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION .............................................................................................................................. 44 2.3.10.2. REMOVE AN IOS DEVICE OR MAC COMPUTER ON WHICH THE USER CAN’T TURN OFF THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ........................................................................................... 45 2.3.10.3.
REMOVING AN IOS DEVICE THAT THE USER NO LONGER HAS ................................... 46
2.3.11. THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION’S ACTIVATION LOCK ............................................. 47 2.3.11.1.
HOW DOES THE ACTIVATION LOCK WORK? ............................................................. 47 ii
2.3.11.2.
WHAT STEPS SHOULD THE TAKE IF THE USER MISPLACES THEIR DEVICE? ................ 48
2.3.11.3.
DOES THE USER NEED TO TURN OFF THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION BEFORE GIVING AWAY THE DEVICE? ....................................................................................................... 48 2.3.11.4.
DOES THE USER NEED TO TURN OFF THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION BEFORE HAVING THE DEVICE SERVICED? ................................................................................................. 49 2.3.11.5.
WHAT IF THE USER MIGHT FORGET THEIR APPLE ID AND PASSWORD?..................... 49
2.3.11.6.
WHAT IF THE USER HAS PURCHASED A DEVICE THAT IS STILL LINKED TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER’S ACCOUNT? .................................................................................................. 49 2.3.11.7.
HOW CAN THE USER CHECK FOR THE ACTIVATION LOCK BEFORE PURCHASING A USED DEVICE? ............................................................................................................................ 49 2.3.11.8.
DOES THE FIND MY MAC APPLICATION INCLUDE THE ACTIVATION LOCK?............. 50
2.3.12. IF THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ISN’T ENABLED ON THE MISSING DEVICE............. 50 CHAPTER 3 METHODS ....................................................................................................................... 52 3.1.
SUBJECTS ............................................................................................................................... 52
3.2.
INSTRUMENTATION ................................................................................................................ 54
3.3.
PROCEDURES .......................................................................................................................... 55
3.3.1.
SCENARIO ONE: THE IPHONE IS MISPLACED AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED ....................... 55
3.3.2.
SCENARIO TWO: THE IPHONE IS LOST AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED (NOT TRACKING) ...... 56
3.3.3.
SCENARIO THREE: THE IPHONE IS LOST AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED (TRACKING) .......... 56
3.4.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................... 57
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS & OBSERVATIONS ...................................................................................... 58 4.1.
ORDER OF PRESENTATION ...................................................................................................... 58
4.2.
DESCRIPTIVE DATA ................................................................................................................ 60
4.2.1.
PLAY A SOUND SCENARIO ............................................................................................... 61
4.2.2.
IPHONE IN LOST MODE SCENARIO ................................................................................... 63
4.2.3.
ERASING THE IPHONE SCENARIO ..................................................................................... 66
4.2.4.
DISPLAY A MESSAGE ON THE IPHONE (LOST MODE SCENARIO) ...................................... 66
4.3.
RESULTS OF STATISTICAL TESTING ........................................................................................ 69 iii
4.3.1.
STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO ONE: THE IPHONE IS MISPLACED AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED ....................................................................................................................................... 70 4.3.2.
STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO TWO: THE IPHONE IS LOST AND NEEDS TO BE
LOCATED (NOT TRACKING) ............................................................................................................ 71
4.3.3.
STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO THREE: THE IPHONE IS LOST AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED (TRACKING) .................................................................................................................... 72 4.4.
INTERPRETATIONS OF STATISTICAL RESULTS ......................................................................... 73
4.4.1.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO ONE: THE IPHONE IS MISPLACED AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED ................................................................................................................... 73 4.4.2.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO TWO: THE IPHONE IS LOST AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED (NOT TRACKING) ....................................................................................................... 74 4.4.3.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO THREE: THE IPHONE IS LOST AND NEEDS TO BE LOCATED (TRACKING) ............................................................................................................... 75 4.4.4.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE OF ONLINE MODE ........................................................................................................................... 76 4.4.5.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE OF OFFLINE MODE .......................................................................................................................... 77 4.4.6.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON BETWEEN FAILURE RATE OF ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE ............................................................................................................................... 78 4.4.7.
STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON BETWEEN SUCCESS RATE OF ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE ............................................................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 82 5.1.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 82
5.2.
CONCLUSIONS DRAWN BY RESULTS ...................................................................................... 83
5.3.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH...................................................................... 83
LITERATURE CITED ........................................................................................................................ 85 INDEX ................................................................................................................................................. 88
iv
LIST OF FIGURES Chapter One FIGURE 1.1. THE ICLOUD ........................................................................................................................ 1 FIGURE 1.2. THE FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ................................................................................... 3 FIGURE 1.3. THE FIND MY IPHONE WEB-ONLY ACCESS LOGIN CONSOLE ............................................. 4
Chapter Two FIGURE 2.1. THE ICLOUD WEB-INTERFACE LOGIN ............................................................................... 10 FIGURE 2.2. TYPICAL ICLOUD WEB-BASED INTERFACE AFTER LOGIN.................................................. 11 FIGURE 2.3. THE ICLOUD DRIVE DOCUMENTS SYNCED ON ALL DEVICES ............................................. 12 FIGURE 2.4. THE TYPICAL ICLOUD ARCHITECTURE .............................................................................. 14 FIGURE 2.5. TYPES OF ICLOUD .............................................................................................................. 15 FIGURE 2.6. THE SOCIAL ISSUE OF THE PHONE WITH FRIENDS .............................................................. 18 FIGURE 2.7. THE SOCIAL ISSUE OF THE PHONES ................................................................................... 19 FIGURE 2.8. THE IPHONE 5S ................................................................................................................. 20 FIGURE 2.9. STEP ONE FOR SETTING UP THE IOS DEVICE ...................................................................... 25 FIGURE 2.10. STEP TWO FOR SETTING UP THE IOS DEVICE ................................................................... 26 FIGURE 2.11. STEP THREE AND STEP FOUR FOR SETTING UP THE IOS DEVICE ...................................... 27 FIGURE 2.12. STEP ONE FOR SETTING UP THE PASSCODE ON AN IOS DEVICE ......................................... 28 FIGURE 2.13. STEP TWO FOR SETTING UP THE PASSCODE ON AN IOS DEVICE ....................................... 29 FIGURE 2.14. STEP THREE FOR SETTING UP THE PASSCODE ON AN IOS DEVICE .................................... 30 FIGURE 2.15. DEVICE FOUND ON FIND MY IPHONE MAP ...................................................................... 32 FIGURE 2.16. THE USER INTERFACE OF FIND MY IPHONE APPLICATION ............................................... 33 i
FIGURE 2.17. PLAY SOUND BUTTON IN THE DEVICE’S INFO WINDOW .................................................... 34 FIGURE 2.18. THE FIND MY IPHONE ALERT MESSAGE ON THE IPHONE ................................................. 35 FIGURE 2.19. THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL FROM APPLE ......................................................................... 36 FIGURE 2.20. LOST MODE BUTTON IN THE DEVICE’S INFO WINDOW ..................................................... 38 FIGURE 2.21. TRACKING THE DEVICE IN LOST MODE ........................................................................... 39 FIGURE 2.22. ERASE IPHONE BUTTON IN THE DEVICE’S INFO WINDOW ................................................. 41 FIGURE 2.23. CHECKING THE ACTIVATION LOCK ON THE IPHONE ........................................................ 44
Chapter Four FIGURE 4.1. THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL TO THE USER’S EMAIL ACCOUNT ............................................. 60 FIGURE 4.2. THE INPUT SCREEN FOR PLAYING A SOUND ON IPHONE ...................................................... 61 FIGURE 4.3. THE OUTPUT ON THE IPHONE ............................................................................................. 62 FIGURE 4.4. THE OUTPUT ON THE EMAIL ACCOUNT OF THE USER .......................................................... 62 FIGURE 4.5. THE INPUT SCREEN FOR PUTTING THE IPHONE ON LOST MODE ........................................... 63 FIGURE 4.6. THE EMAIL ON THE USER’S EMAIL ADDRESS FOR LOST MODE ............................................ 64 FIGURE 4.7. THE EMAIL AFTER THE IPHONE IS LOCATED IN LOST MODE ................................................ 64 FIGURE 4.8. THE IPHONE IS PUT IN THE LOST MODE USING THE ICLOUD WEB PORTAL ......................... 65 FIGURE 4.9. THE IPHONE IS TRACKED LIVE ON THE ICLOUD WEB PORTAL............................................. 65 FIGURE 4.10. THE INPUT SCREEN FOR PUTTING THE IPHONE ON LOST MODE ......................................... 66 FIGURE 4.11. THE INPUT SCREEN FOR PUTTING THE IPHONE ON LOST MODE AND DISPLAYING A MESSAGE .............................................................................................................................................................. 67 FIGURE 4.12. THE WEB PORTAL PAGE WHERE THE LOST MODE IS ACTIVATED ....................................... 67 FIGURE 4.13. THE CUSTOM MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE IPHONE SCREEN ........................................... 68 FIGURE 4.14. THE CALL WITH THE USER OF IPHONE FROM THE LOST MODE, LOCKED SCREEN ............... 69 ii
LIST OF TABLES Chapter Three TABLE 3.1. SAMPLE TABLE OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 57
Chapter Four: Tables TABLE 4.1. STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO ONE ............................................................................. 70 TABLE 4.2. STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO TWO ............................................................................ 71 TABLE 4.3. STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO THREE ......................................................................... 72 TABLE 4.4. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF ONLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE ................. 76 TABLE 4.5. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF OFFLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE ............... 77 TABLE 4.6. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF FAILURE RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE .................................................................................................................................................... 79
TABLE 4.7. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF SUCCESS RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE .................................................................................................................................................... 80
iii
Chapter Four: Charts CHART 4.1. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO ONE ............................................................. 73 CHART 4.2. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO TWO ............................................................ 74 CHART 4.3. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO THREE ......................................................... 75 CHART 4.4. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF ONLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE 76 CHART 4.5. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF OFFLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE 78 CHART 4.6. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF FAILURE RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE ...................................................................................................................................... 79
CHART 4.7. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF SUCCESS RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE ...................................................................................................................................... 81
iv
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION
The Cloud computing technology is the utmost important step in the progression of the ondemand information technology services, and this is based on the virtualized resources available throughout the globe. The basic idea of these cloud computing services is based upon a rudimentary principal of ‘reusability of the IT capabilities and functions’. The difference this cloud computing service brings, as and when compared to the conventional concepts of other computing methods, is to widen the horizons across the multiple organizational boundaries. The term "iCloud" origins from the term, as used by the computer experts, called the "cloud". When any data is put into the cloud, that data is put up in a server (which might be located anywhere in the world), where it is made available anywhere and everywhere (across all the places). The alphabet "i" in front of the name is a trademark by the Apple Inc., thus giving the name iCloud. Streaming the photos, storing documents, saving the application data, and synchronizing music has now become ten times more easier and efficient due to this technology.1
Figure 1.1. The iCloud
1
The basic idea for the research was taken from the http://awhite16-icloud.blogspot.com/ forums. 1
Apple has the best application for searching all its devices. However, even the best of the things sometimes can’t function properly when most needed. Such is the case with the most famous ‘Find My iPhone’ application available on the iPhone. This dissertation is for and about how this application does exactly work and what might be the consequences if the application fails to respond when most needed of it. This dissertation contains a total of five chapters. This is the first chapter which gives a brief introduction on the topic of hypothesis, along with the purpose and significance of the research. This chapter also lists and states the questions that had caused the opening of this research hypothesis. All the definitions of the terms related to this dissertation and the assumptions that were made for this research are also mentioned in this chapter of the hypothesis. The second chapter will elaborate the terms and meanings of those terms mentioned in the definitions section of this chapter. It will provide the details of all the technicality of the application on which this dissertation is being written. The third chapter is a very important chapter of this dissertation. This chapter will contain and explain the various methods and procedures that are going to be used in this research for the desired results. All the requirements for completing this dissertation and subjectsthat are to be included for research of this hypothesis will be listed in the third chapter of this dissertation. Then coming to the fourth chapter, this chapter will be the part of the hypothesis where all the results and the outcomes of the experiments, performed using the tools mentioned in chapter three, will be stated and discussed. The fourth chapter will also answer some of the questions that are listed in the question of the research section of this chapter. Finally, chapter five will give the conclusions drawn on the basis of chapters three and four. The experiments and the results of those experiments will give away the conclusion and also answer the remaining questions of the research which can be concluded by the limitations of the research. The conclusion will always suggest the ways to improve the application and sometimes also the new techniques to overcome the previous limitations of the application.
1.1
Purpose of the Study Apple’s Find My iPhone application is by-far the best available application in the market today
to search and locate the misplaced iPhone or other iDevices. However, no matter how good it is, it will still have bugs as it is nothing but a software program. The main purpose of this dissertation is to give a spotlight to those bugs and loopholes in the application and also to suggest ways through various analysis for covering and solving the problems caused due to those bugs and loopholes.
2
Figure 1.2. The Find My iPhone Application When a mobile iDevice or the iPhone is stolen, the first thing that the robber would do is switch off the iPhone and then remove and crush the SIM card (present in the iPhone), so that it’s not easy to locate it. Once the SIM card is out and the iPhone is switched off, it is practically impossible to locate it. Another scenario is where the robber tries to switch on the device, without erasing it, the device asks for a password and will send an alert to Apple’s support team. The owner of the device can also send an alert on the iPhone for searching it. The alerts will reach the device only if the device has some service provider data network or is connected to the Wi-Fi. Either of the condition should match to avail the service of finding the iPhone’s Find My iPhone application. Yet another scenario is where the robber inserts another SIM card to switch on the iPhone and even bypasses the security code, the activation code in the Find My iPhone application will send an alert to Apple’s support system and the owner stating that the iPhone is restarted at such location. Both the above scenarios will only work if the owner has initiated an alert by using the Find My iPhone application through web-only access using any other machine or device.
3
Figure 1.3. The Find My iPhone Web-Only Access Login Console2 The third scenario is where no activation code is available or set by the owner and even the Find My iPhone application is not activated. In such cases nothing can be done as there is no remote access available to the iPhone for the owner. All of the above mentioned scenarios will be broadly presented in the following chapters of this dissertation along with the suggestions to overcome or partially resolve the problems caused in the smooth running of the application and the devices upon which the application is running. A more broad review and explanation on the application bugs and loopholes, as well as the working functionality of the application is elaborated in the literature review chapter of the dissertation.
1.2
Question of the Research This dissertation will be entirely based upon solving and elaborating the following questions.
These questions were decided based upon the conditions mentioned in the previous sub-sections of this chapter. These questions will be answered in the results and conclusion chapters of this
2
The images in the chapter are taken from www.icloud.com while using the application. 4
dissertation. The questions are listed as below: i.
The first question for the research would be ‘why to use this application?’
ii.
Then will come, how exactly is the device located using this application?
iii.
How does the iCloud service remotely lock the screen?
iv.
How will the iCloud service remotely wipe the device?
v.
What are the benefits of this application?
vi.
How safe will the data be once the device is lost?
vii.
If the application fails to locate the device, what can be done next?
viii.
What measures can be taken to secure the device and also securely locate the device?
ix.
What are the limitations of this application?
x.
How can we overcome the limitations of this application?
xi.
Will the suggestions to overcome the limitations work in the real world as they would work in the ideal world?
1.3 Significance of the Study A mobile device is no more an item of luxury, but an item of utmost necessity. As we know that all the iDevices are quite expensive, only the individual who loses it can understand the disappointment of being disconnected from the world. Plus the irony of losing such an expensive device is something that cannot be explained. The basic purpose of the study is to be able to track and locate the iDevice and get it saved from being misused and sold by the unidentified. The significance of the study involves losing an expensive device and tracking to recover the device. To understand how this works, we need to analyze all the factors that are related to finding the iDevice. The ‘Find my iPhone’ application is the product of Apple Inc. for tracking a lost iPhone. This dissertation is entirely based upon how exactly this application works, what exactly are the benefits and limitations of this application. An elaboration of this application is presented, along with the explanation of how it works with iCloud and the device communicating with other applications and systems, in the next following chapter of the hypothesis. 5
As per the question of the hypothesis, the major concern for this study is the significance of information and the device security. This application product is the best of its kind for locating and erasing the device remotely. But as always, every application has its own limitations. There can be various other ways by which these limitations can be overcome, but like always this might get a bit tricky and time consuming. The ultimate goal for this hypothesis is try to make the device secure and locating the device more efficiently and successfully. Also suggesting ways to make the existing application function in a more robust manner. We shall be answering and addressing all the questions listed in the previous section in this entire dissertation.
1.4 Definitions3 The following are the list of few technical words that are used in the following chapters of the hypothesis. These are general terms that can be found over the internet, but are included as a part of this dissertation to let the reader gain control over the reading of the hypothesis. The list along with the definitions is as follows:
Cloud Computing: The cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers or remote computers hosted on the internet to store, manage, and process the data, rather than a local server or a personal computer doing the same.
iCloud: iCloud is Apple’s online cloud service which is designed to manage your iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and iTunes data content easily and automatically make it available to your other owned devices efficiently.
iPhone: iPhone is the line of smartphones designed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Inc. and also that run on Apple’s iOS mobile operating system.
iOS: The operating system that is developed by Apple Inc. for its devices such as iPhone, iPad, iPod, and so on.
iDevice: Any device that runs on iOS and is a product of Apple Inc. is referred to as an iDevice.
3
All the definitions of the terms listed have been taken from Wikipedia and modified to best suite the dissertation. While some part is picked up from http://grids.ucs.indiana.edu/ptliupages/publications/ReportNarimanMirzaeiJan09.pdf. Some text in the chapter are taken from http://it103jacobshepherd.blogspot.com/ and http://www.ijisme.org/attachments/File/v1i2/B0111011213.pdf while referring to the type of contents required for the hypothesis. 6
Find My iPhone: It is the application that is developed by Apple Inc. to track the iPhone if it’s stolen or lost. It has much functionality that it can perform on the device in which it resides.
Activation Lock: The Find My iPhone application also includes an attribute called the Activation Lock which is intended to prevent unauthorized users from using an iPhone or iDevice, if it’s ever lost, misplaced, or stolen. This Activation Lock is automatically enabled when the Find My iPhone application is activated and turned-on on a device using the iOS 7 or later.
iCloud.com: It is the official web-only access portal for non-iOS users to login through any machine and use the available services for the non-owner of iDevices.
1.5 Delimitations, Limitations, and Assumptions This section of the chapter will list all the delimitations, the limitations, and the assumptions that were taken under consideration during the research process. Delimitations are the factors that were controlled during the research process or operation. Limitations are the factors that were not under any control during the research or experimenting process. Finally, assumptions are the factors which were assumed for a process to take place during the ongoing and before the experiment of the research actually began.
1.5.1. Delimitations The following is the list of factors which were controlled during the research process: i.
The iPhone cannot be erased as it a working and in-use device of the owner.
ii.
The iPhone is not exactly lost. It is only misplaced with the authorization of the owner, to enable tracking and allow the experiments on the device.
iii.
The mobile network and the data connection are manually put off through the settings only for experimenting purposes. These are controlled to create the conditions that may arise during the real-time scenarios.
iv.
The iPhone is wrapped and kept in a closed compartment only to try and disable the tracking feature, while it is still online and the mobile network is active.
v.
The attempt is made to block the GPS connectivity so that the iPhone appears to be offline, even though it’s still active and working.
7
vi.
The tracking of the iPhone is done in a controlled environment so that it is not actually lost or stolen.
1.5.2. Limitations The following is the list of factors which were not under any control during the research process: i.
The iPhone was not at all accessible when the mobile was totally cut-off or the network was not able to be connected.
ii.
The biggest limitation is the internet connectivity. The iPhone was unable to be tracked and was not even seen on the web-only access portal of iCloud when there was no internet connectivity from either a Wi-Fi connection or the mobile data connection.
iii.
The device or iPhone is continuously seen offline when there is no internet connection available, even though the mobile network is active on the iPhone or the iDevice.
iv.
The another greatest limitation of any tracking application is that it cannot track the device or the iPhone when it is either cut-off from the GPS connectivity or the GPS connectivity is somehow lost on the device or the iPhone.
v.
If the device is lost and is not in the range of a previously configured Wi-Fi connection then it gets very difficult to locate the device.
1.5.3. Assumptions The following is the list of assumptions which were made for a process to take place for completing the research operation: i.
The first assumption is that the iPhone is not exactly lost or misplaced or stolen. It is only kept safe at some location to enable the experimenting of the application and it’s actual compatibility in the real-time usage.
ii.
The network and the data connection are manually handled so that the usage of the phone is not hampered during the experiment process.
iii.
The Wi-Fi connectivity is also manually handled only for experimenting purposes.
8
Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter will briefly elaborate various aspects of the iOS devices as well as the functionality of the iCloud services and the Find My iPhone application. An elaboration of what is an iCloud service, what is an iPhone device, and what is the application Find My iPhone all about is explained in this chapter. All the details on how and why does the system exists is mentioned in this chapter. This chapter will give a way to understand the logic behind all the words listed in the definitions section of the previous chapter. This chapter also explains how the three things: the iCloud, the iPhone, and the application; work together in co-ordination and help locate and monitor and, sometimes,also take control of the iPhone.
2.1. What is iCloud4? The iCloud is the cloud storage and service system designed and provided by Apple Inc. for all the iOS and Mac users. It connects the user with all its Apple devices in the most amazing possible ways. The iCloud was designed so that the users have no longer need of a Mac or a Windows PC to activate or setup the iPhone or iPad. The user can simply turn on the device, login to the iCloud with the active Apple ID and password, and then setup the phone or tablet as a new device or restore the device from a previously done iCloud backup. This iCloud functionality is directly built into many of the applications available on the iPhone and is available in almost all the iOS’ later than iOS 5. It will make sure that the user always has the latest versions of the important data: such as documents, photos, notes, and contacts; on whichever device the user is using. It also lets the user easily share their photos, calendars, locations, and much more with family and friends. It even helps the user find their device if, unfortunately, the user loses it.
4
Apple. (2012). What is iCloud. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/icloud/what-is.html 9
Even if one doesn’t possess either an iOS device or a Mac machine, one can still gain the "webonly access" to create and share information and documents using the applications of Apple such as the Pages (similar to MS Word), the Numbers (similar to MS Excel), and the Keynote (similar to MS PowerPoint), all by signing into the iCloud.com web portal. With this web-only access, a person also gets one gigabyte of storage for any of the documents that the person creates.
Figure 2.1. The iCloud Web-Interface Login
2.1.1. The iCloud features5 Following that the user has set up the iCloud service on their iOS device or Mac machine, the user has the entry to the features listed below. It is also important to keep in mind that the iCloud service requires an efficient working internet connection, and also that some of the iCloud features might have a minimum system requirement that needs to be met. The iCloud service may not always be available in all of the areas of the application domain, and also that some of the features may vary by the area of the application domain it is being used in or used as.
5
Baran, D. (2011, June 7). Apple iCloud. What it is & the benefits. Retrieved from http://www.webguild.org/20110607/apple-icloud-what-is-it-what-are-the-benefits Steve Jobs.(2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:28, Mar 03, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/steve-jobs-9354805 10
Figure 2.2. Typical iCloud Web-Based Interface after Login The following is the list of features which are provided by the iCloud service to the user of an iOS device and the Mac computers: i.
Content everywhere: The user can automatically get their account orders from the iTunes Store, the App Store, and the iBooks Store to all of their linked devices on the iCloud, and the user can also download their past orders anytime and anywhere.
ii.
Photos: The user can use their iCloud’s Photo Library to store their entire library of photos and videos on their iCloud service, and let the iCloud system keep them updated and synced on all of the linked iOS devices and the Mac computers of the user and also on the iCloud.com web portal. The user can also use the Photo Sharing feature to share the albums of their photos and videos with the people user chooses to, and also lets them add up other photos, videos, and various comments to the user’s shared albums containing photos and videos.
iii.
iCloud Drive: The user can safely store and organize all kinds of data and documents in the iCloud Drive using the iCloud system. Along with that, the user can also work with them in the iCloud Drive of the iCloud.com web portal and on the user’s device set up for the iCloud Drive. The iCloud Drive is the one-stop for storing and sharing all the data across all the synced devices.
11
Figure 2.3. The iCloud Drive Documents synced on all Devices iv.
Family Sharing: The user is allowed to add up to a maximum of six family members, on the iCloud, who can share the iTunes Store orders, the App Store orders, and the iBooks Store orders without the necessity of sharing any accounts. The user can also pay for their family orders with the same credit or debit cards and approve their kids’ spending on the right thing from a parent’s device. The user can also share photos, keep a family calendar, update reminders, and add their favorite locations on the iCloud service and then sync it with all the family shared devices.
v.
Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, and Reminders : The user can keep their mails, contacts, calendars, notes, and reminders up-to-date using the feature of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, and Reminders upon the iCloud.com web-based portal, and that too by just using the applications available on their iOS devices, Mac computers, and/or Windows computers.
vi.
Find My iPhone: When the user needs to find their misplaced iOS device or Mac computer, or one of the devices which belongs to their family member, they can do it by accessing the Find My iPhone application link on the iCloud.com web portal. The Find My iPhone application includes the Activation Lock, which will make it harder for anyone or anybody to reuse or dispose-off the iPhone, the iPad, or the iPod if it’s ever lost or stolen. This feature is mentioned in detail in the later sections of this chapter.
vii.
Pages, Numbers, and Keynote: The user can use the beta versions of the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications on the iCloud.com web portal and also the corresponding applications 12
on their iOS devices and Mac computers to store the spreadsheets, presentations, and other documents into the iCloud Drive. The iCloud keeps these items up-to-date and synced on all the user devices. viii.
Bookmarks, Reading List, and iCloud Tabs : This feature is for the user to see the webpages that they have opened on their Mac and iOS devices (these are specifically their iCloud Tabs). Also, this feature allows the user to read the articles from their Reading List, even when they’re offline. The user is facilitated to use the same bookmarks (synced) on their other iOS devices, Mac computers, and Windows computers.
ix.
iCloud Keychain: This feature of iCloud Keychain will help the user to keep their passcodes, credit or debit card information, and more such critical informative details up-to-date, and will also have it presented automatically on their iOS devices and Mac computers.
x.
iMovie Theater: This feature of the iCloud allows the user to watch the completed movies and, also, the trailers on all of their linked devices.
xi.
Backup and restore: The iCloud service will automatically backup the user’s iOS device on a daily basis (or as it is manually updated in the settings of the iPhone by the user) over the WiFi network, when the device is switched on, locked, and plugged into a charger. The user can also use their iCloud backup service to either restore their iOS device or to set up a new one as and when necessary.
xii.
Back to Mac: This feature will allow the user to securely connect their Mac computer to their remote Mac computer over the internet connection, and then quantum the screen or the files of their remote Mac computers over the internet connection. With the iCloud services available on the devices, the user gets an iCloud email account and
also five gigabytes of free storage for their mails, documents, data, photos, and their backups. The music, applications, TV shows, and books that the user has purchased don’t occupy space provided or made available to the user. The following subsections will describe the architecture of the iCloud system and also the way in which the iCloud technology is developed. It also tells the types of iCloud technologies available and designed by the Apple Inc. development team.
13
2.1.2. Architecture of iCloud Once the user connects their device or iPhone to the internet using any internet connectivity, all their files will subconsciously be synchronized to the iCloud server. The feature of backup of the iCloud service allows the user to maintain their personal data, along with all the other applications and orders from iTunes. The user can restore all of their data directly to their device from the iCloud service, or even move it to any new devices the user buys. The cloud system architecture is the framework of the software systems which are involved in the delivery of cloud computing and comprise of hardware and software structured by a cloud architect, typically working for a cloud developer. The framework involves multiple cloud components exchanging information with each other over the various application programming interfaces, called as the web services. This architecture closely resembles that of the UNIX philosophy of having multiple programs doing one thing and functioning together over global interfaces efficiently. The factor of complexity is handled and the evolving systems are more reasonable than their counterparts. The cloud architecture ranges to the clients, where the web browsers and/or application software accesses the cloud applications. The cloud storage framework is loosely coupled, where the operations are either to the applications or the centralized users, permitting the data nodes to scale independently, hence delivering data to the applications or the users.
Figure 2.4. The Typical iCloud Architecture
2.1.3. Types of Cloud The following are the detailed explanation of the types of iCloud available and provided by the Apple Inc. development team: i.
Public Cloud: The public cloud describes the cloud computing technology in the conventional mainstream. These public clouds are operated by third parties, and hence the applications from various users are likely to be mixed together on these cloud’s server(s), storage system(s), and network(s). The public cloud gives service to multiple users across multiple platforms. 14
ii.
Private Cloud: The private clouds are built for the exclusive usage of one user per cloud, providing the maximum control over the data, its security, and the quality of the service provided. The company holds the infrastructure of these clouds and has the maintenance or authority over how the applications are deployed on it. These private clouds can be built and managed by a company’s own IT organization or by a private cloud provider.
iii.
Hybrid Cloud: The hybrid clouds are a combination of both, the public and the private, cloud models. This type of cloud is most often seen with the usage for the storage clouds that support photo, Safari, Crypto Enlister, and such iDevice applications. The above explained types of iCloud technologies are depicted using a self explanatory
diagram as below.
Figure 2.5. Types of iCloud
2.1.4. Running the iCloud configuration The iCloud Backup feature will automatically and securely backup the user’s most important information to the iCloud daily or as manually set by the user, over the Wi-Fi network connection whenever the iOS device is connected to a power source. Once the user plugs the iPhone or the iDevice in, everything from the device is backed up quickly and efficiently. The iCloud already stores the music, TV shows, applications, books, and Photo Stream purchased by the user; the iCloud Backup will take care of everything else, like backing up your photos and video from the Camera Roll, the device settings, the application data, the home screen and application organization, the messages, and ringtones. The iCloud Backup feature can even help the user set up a new iOS device or restore all the information onto the one the user already owns. On the iCloud system, the user can backup their:
15
i.
Purchased music, TV shows, applications, and books
ii.
Photos and video of the Camera Roll
iii.
Device settings
iv.
Application data
v.
Home screen and application organization
vi.
Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS)
vii.
Ringtones and so on.
2.1.5. Objectives and Benefits of iCloud6 With the introduction of the iCloud service, backup, storage, and sharing have become easier than ever before. One important benefit is the simplicity of backup. The Apple users no longer have to figure maintaining files at various places since backup is as simple as charging the device. All the files and applications are subconsciously stored once the device is plugged into a charger and connected to a Wi-Fi network connection. Another advantage of the iCloud service is the simplicity of synchronizing data, across various devices. It is known that there is an extreme hassle to use USB devices and online drop boxes, or even emails for syncing the information. When using the iCloud service, all the data is put into the "cloud", and this data can be retrieved through another device using the user’s iCloud account username and password. The iCloud service subconsciously syncs the content and makes it available to all the iDevices such as the iPad, iPhone, Mac computer, or iPod. This service is also advantageous because of its cost, absolutely free. With the ownership of an Apple product the owner of the user attains the accessibility to the iCloud services, this offer is available at no cost, and hence relieving the pockets of those using online drop boxes or spending money on the USB devices. This service is also beneficial for the Google’s Android or the Microsoft users, encouraging the makers to make advancements similar to the iCloud service.
2.1.6. Legal and Ethical Issues7 With the introduction of the iCloud service, the effortlessness of sharing the data from one 6
Baran, D. (2011, June 7). Apple iCloud. What it is & the benefits. Retrieved from http://www.webguild.org/20110607/apple-icloud-what-is-it-what-are-the-benefits 7 iCloud: iCloud security and privacy overview. (2013). Apple Inc. Retrieved from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4865 16
device to another has come with many legal and ethical issues while using this service. One of the large legal issues is the illegal sharing of music. "In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the music industry, declaring that free music file-swapping is illegal and is also in violation of music copyrights held by the recording labels and artists". Nevertheless, with this iCloud service, sharing music files is easier and faster. When the users are backing up the iTunes purchases on one of their devices, their files are available on another device mapped or linked with their Apple or iCloud account, enabling the user to have that data saved on multiple pieces of technology. The user also has the ability to share the music with others by gaining control of their iCloud service on other computers, or by using USBs and emails to share data. Also, ethics kicks through the sharing of other people’s personal data, such as personal photos or videos. For instance, one user could send another user a very personal picture. When the device is plugged in, that picture is backed up on the server and is now made available on other linked devices. If someone is granted access to that device or attains an access to the device, they may then possess the power to publicize that personal picture or data, causing extreme moral or ethical issues. Even though the iCloud service can be resourceful in various positive ways, it can also be resourceful in enormous negative ways.
2.1.7. Security Concerns8 At the most, the iCloud service is very secure because of the password protected security, and the fact that the data is only accessible to the Apple products on which the user signs-in with the iCloud account. Moreover, not everything is cent percent secure when it comes to technology. One of the biggest security concerns is about software attackers. If any unauthenticated user is granted with a temporary access by introducing a malware, an attacker can attain the access to the iCloud documents stored locally, and therefore causing it to spread stored personal information or append files to the iCloud system which could terribly damage the Apple product which the user is using currently. Also, the Apple workers had the authority to access the files and data stored in the iCloud system, therefore, reducing security of the personal data which has been backed up on the iCloud system. Although it is not possibly, that the data to the iCloud infrastructure is encrypted during the transmission, giving the Apple employees the access to all the confidential files with the permission to view the details in the documents as well. If the iCloud service is being used on an Apple product which is not the user’s personal device then that information could be backed up unconsciously to the device once the user’s personal device is plugged in.
8
iCloud: iCloud security and privacy overview. (2013). Apple Inc. Retrieved from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4865 17
For the preceding reasons, Apple Inc. has seriously suggested that confidential data should not be saved on any device. This confidential data can include social security numbers, banking information, occupational information, and other information such as these.
2.1.8. Social Problems9 With all the evolution in the technology today, comes the reduction of social involvement with people and the surrounding community. As if the people are not already into their smart devices too much, this service has caused people to never want to disengage themselves from their devices. Now that the information is made available through multiple devices, there is no more the need to listen to music or watch movies in groups due to the easy distributing though the iCloud.
Figure 2.6. The Social Issue of the Phone with friends
It is known that music distribution can be illegal in some aspects, it was most necessary in promoting social skills through technology. Websites, such as MySpace and YouTube, are giving people a way to share music and videos through social networking. The social side of technology users is brought out by the use of profiles on these websites. People are led to be more social with their computers than others owing to the introduction of iCloud, making file sharing experience less socially interactive.
9
iCloud: iCloud security and privacy overview. (2013). Apple Inc. Retrieved from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4865 18
Figure 2.7. The Social Issue of the Phones World-wide social life is becoming obsolete with futuristic development in electronics. The future has no promise for any kind of social interaction, the way how the technology is taking over right now. People sitting in groups are not interacting amongst themselves but with the devices at hand.
2.2. What is iPhone?10 The iPhone is the line of smartphones designed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Inc. They run using Apple’s iOS. The first iPhone was iPhone (1st Generation) (iPhone OS 1.0); the most recent models available for iPhone are the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. There are altogether eight generations of iPhone models released (at the time of writing) and also that each iPhone was accompanied by one of the eight major releases of iOS.
10
iPhone: what is iPhone? Details of iPhone.Specifications of iPhone. Retrieved from https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7018518?start=0&tstart=0; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6745400?start=0&tstart=0; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6852417?start=0&tstart=0; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6800531?start=0&tstart=0; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2632126 19
Figure 2.8. The iPhone 5S The lists of iPhone generations that are released till date are as follows: i.
iPhone (1st Generation) (iPhone OS 1.0)
ii.
iPhone 3G (iPhone OS 2.0)
iii.
iPhone 3GS (iPhone OS 3.0)
iv.
iPhone 4 (iOS 4.0 for GSM and iOS 4.2.5 for CDMA)
v.
iPhone 4S (iOS 5.0)
vi.
iPhone 5 (iOS 6.0)
vii.
iPhone 5S (iOS 7.0)
viii.
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (iOS 8.0) The user interface of the iPhone is built around the multi-touch screen, which also includes a
virtual keyboard. The iPhone has the accessibility to Wi-Fi networks and can also connect to cellular 20
data networks. An iPhone has the capability to shoot video (this was not a standard feature until the release of iPhone 3GS), take photos in multiple modes, play the music synced from iTunes, send and receive emails through various mail servers configured, browse through web-pages or the internet, send SMS text messages or iMessages, be a part of GPS navigation, take notes, do various mathematical calculations, and also receive visual voicemail. Other functions, such as video games, reference works, social networking, and so on, can be enabled by downloading the specific application programs (‘applications’) from the Apple’s App Store. The generation of iPhone used for the research performance in this dissertation is iPhone 5S. This iPhone was launched by the Apple Inc. on September 20, 2013. This is the seventh generation and adds the new feature of the finger print recognition system. The hardware and software specifications of this generation of iPhone used in this dissertation are as follows: i.
The CPU used is 1.3 GHz dual-core Apple Cyclone
ii.
It uses the chipset Apple A7, Apple M7 motion coprocessor
iii.
The GPU used is PowerVR G6430 (four cluster@450 MHz)
iv.
The memory specification available is 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM
v.
This model is available in three storage options: 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes
vi.
The display available with this model is 4 inches (100 mm thickness) diagonal (with 16:9 aspect ratio), multi-touch display, LED backlit IPS TFT LCD, 640×1136 pixels at 326 ppi, 800:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m2 maximum brightness, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front
vii.
The rear camera has the specifications of custom Sony Exmor RS, 8 MP back-side illuminated 1/3 " sensor, HD video (1080p) at 30 fps, slow-motion video (720p) at 120 fps, IR filter, dual warm/cool LED flashes, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 30 mm focal length, facial recognition, image stabilization, burst mode
viii.
The front camera has the specifications of 1.2 MP, HD video, burst mode (with iOS 8 update) (720p) The best feature that anyone can find in iPhone 5S is the fingerprint scanner. The user can
unlock the phone and do many things by just using the finger print unlocking feature, called Touch ID. The Touch ID can be used to authenticate purchases of App Store as well as can be used with the Apple Pay feature.
21
It comes with a M7 motion chip designed by Apple Inc. which is capable of tracking accurate movements. This is used to calculate, for example, the steps one takes or the flight of stairs one might climb. It even comes with a built-in barometer. It sports a dual LED flash and an 8 MP Sony Exmor sensor camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Now let’s see the details and specifications of the applications that has been talked about and discussed as the most essential part of the dissertation.
2.3. The Find My iPhone Application11 The Find My iPhone application is an application and service provided by Apple Inc. to find the location of the user’s Apple device, if it is either lost or stolen. This application is renamed according to the device it resides on. For example, Find My iPad for the Apple’s iPad, Find My iPod for the Apple’s iPod, and so on. This application and/or service can also be used to find Apple’s notebook computers such as the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. The application connects to the iCloud service designed and provided by Apple Inc. The application can track, lock, play a sound, or even wipe the entire device remotely using the web-only access of the iCloud web portal. This powerful tool can be used by the owner in case of theft or loss of device to prevent misuse of information contained on the device. The service of this application can be enabled from the settings on the iCloud.com web-based portal using the iCloud username and password, also known as the Apple ID and password. The user can also use this application from another Apple device; but this should be linked to the device which is lost. The user can login with the same iCloud username and password either on another device or on the web-based portal of the iCloud service. The user needs to login to the iCloud.com portal to avail the services provided by this application. In order for the application to work, the Apple device must be continuously connected to the internet using either the mobile data network or the Wi-Fi network and also must have the Find My iPhone service along with the activation lock (explained later in the chapter) to be activated on the iPhone. Along with this, the application also uses the GPS service to pin-point the location of the device. The Find My iPhone application helps the user locate and protect their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac if it’s ever lost or stolen. With this application set up on the user’s device, you can do the following:
11
Find My iPhone: how to use Find My iPhone. Retrieved from http://favfind.xyz/find-my-iphone-login/; https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2701?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US; https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2701 22
i.
Locate the device on a map online using the web-only access portal
ii.
Play a sound on the device to help the user findor locate it, if it is in the same vicinity
iii.
Use the Lost Mode to lock and track the lost device, again, using the web-only access portal
iv.
Remotely erase all of the personal information from the device to safeguard it from any unauthorized person
2.3.1. Getting started with the Find My iPhone application The first few things that the user needs to do is set up their device, and activate the application from the iPhone. The user can then use, from any computer, the Find My iPhone web application by navigating to the link ‘icloud.com/find’. The free Find My iPhone application can also be downloaded and used on any iOS device. When using the application from any computer, the user needs to assure a recommended browser for using the iCloud service.
2.3.2. Finding family members’ devices If the user has joined the Family Sharing feature, they can use the Find My iPhone application to help find and protect the family members’ iOS devices (but only available in iOS 8 or later) and Mac computers (available for OS X v10.10 or later). Firstly, each of the family members must set up to share locations with other family members on their devices to avail the benefits of this service.
2.3.3. The Activation Lock When the user sets up the Find My iPhone application on the iPhone, there is something called as the Activation Lock. This lock is automatically activated as soon as the Find My iPhone application is turned-on on the iPhone. The lock makes it difficult for anyone or anybody to use or sell the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch if it’s ever lost or stolen. This Activation Lock is discussed in more detail in later sections of the chapter.
2.3.4. Setting up the Find My iPhone application Before the user can start locating their devices, the user needs to set up the Find My iPhone application on an iOS device or a Mac computer, must meet minimum system requirements. It is also important that if the user wants to see all their devices in the Find My iPhone application, they need to use the same Apple ID and password when they set up each device. The setting up of an iOS device is explained in the following subsection.
23
2.3.4.1. Setting up an iOS device Following are the steps that the user must follow for setting up the Find My iPhone Application on a device running iOS: i.
On the device’s Home screen, tap on Settings, and then tap iCloud. If asked to sign in, enter the Apple ID and password. If the user doesn’t have one, tap on Create a new Apple ID, and then follow the instructions.
ii.
If the Find My iPhone application is turned off, tap on Find My iPhone and then tap to turn it on.
iii.
Tap to turn on Send Last Location. If the device is misplaced or stolen and has a critically low battery charge level, its location is sent to the Apple Support automatically. When the user uses the Find My iPhone application to locate that device, they see where it was before its battery ran-out of charge.
24
Figure 2.9. Step One for Setting up the iOS device
25
Figure 2.10. Step Two for Setting up the iOS device
26
Figure 2.11. Step Three and Step Four for Setting up the iOS device For added security of the iPhone, the user needs to set up a passcode which needs to be entered before anyone can access the applications and/or information on the device. For setting up a passcode on the iPhone, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, and follow the instructions that are available on-screen.
27
Figure 2.12. Step one for setting up the passcode on an iOS device
28
Figure 2.13. Step Two for Setting up the passcode on an iOS device
29
Figure 2.14. Step Three for Setting up the passcode on an iOS device
30
2.3.4.2. Setting up a Mac device Following are the steps to set up the Find My iPhone Application on a Mac device: i.
On the Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click iCloud. If asked to sign in, enter the Apple ID and password. If the user doesn’t have one, click Create new Apple ID, and then follow the instructions.
ii.
If the Find My Mac application is turned off, select it to turn it on. For added security on the Mac device, make sure the user account requires a password and that automatic login is turned off in Users & Groups preferences.
2.3.4.3. Share the user location with family members If the user is part of a Family Sharing family, they can use the Find My iPhone application to help find their family members’ iOS devices (needs iOS 8 or later) and/or Mac computers (needs OS X v10.10 or later). Firstly, each family member must set up their devices to share their locations with other family members. To perform this, perform the following steps: i.
On an iOS device: Go to Settings > iCloud > Share My Location.
ii.
On a Mac: Open iCloud preferences, click Manage Family Sharing, and then select family members (one at a time).
iii.
When the user sets up the Find My iPhone application, the Activation Lock is turned on automatically. This Activation Lock makes it harder for anyone or anybody to use or sell the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch if it’s ever lost or stolen.
2.3.5. Locating the device To find the approximate location of the iOS devices and Mac computers, the user can locate their device if:
The Find My iPhone application is set up on the device the user wants to locate.
The iOS device or Mac is online—awake and in range of a Wi-Fi network or has an active mobile data connection.
If the user has the Family Sharing set up, they can also locate a family member’s device.
31
i.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal. When the user account has just access to iCloud web-only features, the user is unable to see the Find My iPhone web-based application on the iCloud.com portal. The user needs to set up the iCloud account on the iOS device or Mac computer and gain access to other iCloud features.
ii.
Click on All Devices. In the appearing list, the user will find all of the devices. The dot next to the device indicates its status: If the device is online, a green dot
appears next to it. The user can also see the time it was last
located, if the device can be located. If the device is offline, a gray dot
appears next to it. If the device was online before sometime,
the user can also see the time it was last located. The user sees "Offline", if the device has been offline for over twenty-four hours. iii.
The user selects the device they want to locate. If the device is online and can be located, its approximate location is shown on the map. If the device is offline, it cannot be located and appropriate information is shown on the map.
Figure 2.15. Device Found on Find My iPhone Map If the Find My iPhone application can’t locate the device, the last available known location is displayed to the user for up to twenty-four hours. Select "Notify me when found" to receive an email when the iPhone comes online.
32
Figure 2.16. The User Interface of Find My iPhone application The user can do any of the following to check the updated status of the iDevice: i.
To update the location: Click the green dot (next to the device's name) on the map, and then click Refresh
.
ii.
To move the map: Drag it.
iii.
To zoom in: Click the Zoom In button
iv.
To zoom out: Click the Zoom Out button
v.
To change the map view: Click the current view, in the bottom-right corner, and then click the
. .
view desired. These locations and map information have a dependency on third parties such as the GPS System for data collection. The services provided by such third parties may be unavailable in all the geographic regions and/or are subject to change. This leads to incomplete or inaccurate local information or maps.
2.3.6. Playing a sound on the device If the user has lost the device and think it’s nearby, just play a sound on it to help find it. If the user has the Family Sharing feature set up, they can also play a sound on a family member’s device. Following are the steps to play a sound on the device or the iPhone:
33
i.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on iCloud.com. If the user doesn’t see the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com web portal, the account just has access to the iCloud web-only features. To gain the access to other iCloud features, set up the iCloud service on the iOS device or the Mac computer.
ii.
Click All Devices, and then the user selects the device on which a sound is to be played.
iii.
In the device’s Info window, click Play Sound.
Figure 2.17. Play Sound button in the device’s Info window If the device is online, the sound plays immediately (for two minutes). If its offline, the sound will be played the time it’s online.
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Figure 2.18. The Find My iPhone Alert message on the iPhone After the sound plays, a confirmation email is sent to the Apple ID email address.
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Figure 2.19. The confirmation email from Apple
2.3.7. Using the Lost Mode If the user can’t find their device, they can use the Lost Mode immediately to lock the device and keep tracking its location. If the user has the Family Sharing feature set up, they can turn on the Lost Mode for their family members’ devices, too. For the Lost Mode feature to work appropriately the iOS device must meet the minimum system requirements. The user can lock a Mac or iOS 5 devices, but they can’t track it. If the user locks a Mac computer, they can’t locate it if it’s not near a previously configured Wi-Fi network, and hence the user won’t be able to erase it remotely.
36
2.3.7.1. What is the Lost Mode? The Lost Mode locks the user device with a passcode so that others can’t access their personal information available and saved on the iDevice. When the user device is in the Lost Mode: i.
The user can display a custom message on the screen. For example, the user might want to indicate that the device is lost or how to contact the user.
ii.
The user device doesn’t display any alert messages or make a sound when the device receives phone calls, messages, or any such notifications, or if any alarms go off.
iii.
The Find My iPhone application attempts to encapsulate any credit or debit card information the user might have in the Passbook application for payments through Apple Pay, even if the iPhone is offline.
2.3.7.2. How to turn on the Lost Mode or lock a device? Simply follow the following steps to set up or turn on the Lost Mode on the user device: i.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com web portal. If the user doesn’t see the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com web portal, their account just has the access to the iCloud web-only features. To gain the access to other iCloud features, the user needs to set up the iCloud service on their iOS device or Mac computer.
ii.
Click All Devices, and then select the device the user wants to track or lock.
iii.
Click Lost Mode (available for iOS 6 or later), or Lock (available for iOS 5 or OS X v10.7.5 or later).
37
Figure 2.20. Lost Mode button in the device’s Info window iv.
By following the onscreen instructions, the user has to keep the following in mind: If the iOS device has a passcode, that passcode is required to unlock the iPhone. Else, the user is asked to create a passcode immediately. If the user is trying to place a family member’s iOS device in the Lost Mode, and the device doesn’t have a passcode set, that person’s Apple ID and password must be entered on this computer in order to lock that device. If the user is trying to lock a family member’s Mac computer then that person’s Apple ID and password must be entered on this computer. The user can enter a number where they can be reached when the application asks to enter a phone number. This number will appear on the device’s Lock screen. The user might want to convey that the device is lost or how to contact the user, this can be done when the application asks to enter a message. This message appears on the device’s lock screen.
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The user might need to take their Mac computer to an authorized repair center to unlock it if they forget the passcode, or if they have set an EFI firmware password on their device before it was lost and then lock it only to later find it. If the user puts their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus in the Lost Mode and that they have credit and debit cards in the Passbook application for Apple Pay, then the Find My iPhone application attempts to suspend all the cards immediately, even if the iPhone is offline. The user can turn off the Lost Mode of the application and sign back into the iCloud service on the device to resume using the suspended credit and debit cards. 2.3.7.3. Tracking the device in the Lost Mode If the user is using the Lost Mode, when tracking begins, the user can see their device’s current location, as well as any changes in its location on the map. If the device is online when the user has put it in the Lost Mode or locked it, it locks and the tracking begins (if the option is selected to do so). If the Location Services are turned off on the device, it’s temporarily turned on to track the user’s device’s location. A confirmation email is sent to the user’s Apple ID email address. If the device is offline, the passcode lock and the tracking service (if the option is selected to do so) will take effect the next time the device comes online.
Figure 2.21. Tracking the Device in Lost Mode
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2.3.7.4. Turning off the Lost Mode or changing the contact info The Lost Mode can be turned off by entering the passcode on the device. Alternatively, by following the steps mentioned below the user can alter the contact information displayed on their lost device in addition to turning off the Lost Mode. If the user has managed to get the credit and debit cards for Apple Pay suspended because they had put their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus in the Lost Mode, so when the user would turn off the Lost Mode and sign back into the iCloud service, they can resume using their cards. i.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal. If the user doesn’t see the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal, their account just has access to iCloud web-only features. To gain access to the other iCloud features, the user needs to set up the iCloud service on their iOS device or their Mac computer.
ii.
Click All Devices, and then select the device that’s in the Lost Mode.
iii.
Click Lost Mode, and then change the information or click Stop Lost Mode.
2.3.8. Erasing the user device The user can erase their iOS device or Mac computer, if the device is either lost or stolen, and if they have set up the Find My iPhone application on the device before it was lost. If the user has the Family Sharing feature set up, they can erase their family members’ devices, too. But before the user can erase their device, they should try to locate it or try playing a sound on it. After the user has erased it, they can’t use the Find My iPhone application to do either of the option. The user might still be able to locate the Mac computer if it’s near a previously used Wi-Fi network.
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2.3.8.1. Erasing the device or a family member’s device The user may follow the steps below to erase the iDevice: i.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal. If the user doesn’t see the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com web portal, then their account just has the access to the iCloud web-only features. To gain access to the other iCloud features, the user must set up the iCloud service on their iOS device or Mac computer.
ii.
Click All Devices, and then select the device that the user wants to erase.
iii.
In the device’s Info window, click Erase [device] (this device will be replaced by the type of Apple product the user wants to erase, for example, iPhone in this dissertation)
Figure 2.22. Erase iPhone button in the device’s Info window
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iv.
If the user wants to erase the device: An iOS device: Enter the user’s Apple ID and password or their family member’s Apple ID and password. The user can enter a phone number and message if the device the user is trying to erase has iOS 7 or later. The number and message will be displayed on the screen soon after the device is erased. A Mac computer: Enter the user’s Apple ID and password or their family member’s Apple ID and password, enter a passcode to lock the Mac computer (the user needs to put the passcode to unlock it), then enter a message. This message is displayed on the screen soon after the Mac is erased.
2.3.8.2. After a device is set to erase If the user’s device is online, the remote erase begins. A confirmation email is sent to the user’s Apple ID email address. If user’s device is offline, the remote erase will begin the next time the device comes online. If the user erases and then finds their iOS device, the user can get back the data on the device using the iCloud Backup feature (if the backup was turned-on before the user erased it) or the iTunes Store. If the user erases and then finds their Mac computer, they can get back the data on the Mac computer using a feature called the Time Machine backup, if there is one available. If the user has set an EFI firmware password on their Mac computer before it was lost, and then erased it and later found it, the user may need to take their Mac computer to an authorized repair center to unlock it before they can use it again. If the user has to erase their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and also have the credit and debit cards in the Passbook application for the Apple Pay payments, the Find My iPhone application attempts to remove the cards immediately, even if the iPhone is offline. If the user doesn’t expect to find their iPhone or iPad, then they can simply contact their service provider to stop the services on the device so that the user will not be responsible for usage of calls or other such charges.
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2.3.9. The Activation Lock12 With the iOS 7 or later, the Find My iPhone application includes a feature called the Activation Lock, which gets turned-on unconsciously as soon as the user sets up the Find My iPhone application. The lock makes it difficult for anybody to reuse or sell the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch if it’s ever lost or stolen. With the Activation Lock turned-on, the user’s Apple ID and password are always required before anybody can: i.
Turn off the Find My iPhone application on the user’s device
ii.
Sign out of the iCloud service on the user’s device
iii.
Erase and reactivate the user’s device The users just need to make sure that they remember their Apple ID and password, and also
that their password is distinct and secure so that someone else shouldn’t be able to take a guess of it. 2.3.9.1. Checking a device’s Activation Lock status If the user is buying or selling a used Apple device, they can check the lock of the device from icloud.com/activationlock from a Mac computer or any other personal computer.
12
Activation Lock.Usage of activation lock. Retrieved from http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/127645/how-can-iknow-if-my-iphone-had-been-erased; https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201365 43
Figure 2.23. Checking the Activation Lock on the iPhone 2.3.9.2. Erase a device before selling it or giving it away One needs to be sure to erase their device’s content and settings (by going in Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings). The Find My iPhone application and the Activation Lock are also turned off as soon as the user would erase their content. If the user no longer has the access to a particular device, the user has to follow the instructions illustrated in the next subsection to remove a device they no longer have.
2.3.10.
Remove the device from the Find My iPhone application
If the user is no longer using the iOS device or the Mac, they can remove it from their Find My iPhone application and also sync it with their iCloud.com web portal. When the user will remove a device, it’s removed from their Find My iPhone application’s Devices list, and if the user device has iOS 7 or later, the Activation Lock is also turned-off. The user must assure that the lock is de-activated before giving away or reselling their iOS device and erase their device’s content and settings (by going in Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings). When the user will erase their content, the Find My iPhone application and the Activation Lock are also turned off automatically. The user has to follow the steps elaborated in the subsections to remove the device from their list of available devices. 2.3.10.1. Remove an iOS device or Mac computer by turning off the Find My iPhone application On an iOS device: Go to Settings > iCloud and then tap to turn off Find My [device]. On a Mac: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, and then deselect Find My Mac. The iCloud service needs to be turned-off completely on the device for the user to remove that device. By turning off the iCloud services, the user turns off all the iCloud features that would be available on the device.
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2.3.10.2. Remove an iOS device or Mac computer on which the user can’t turn off the Find My iPhone application If the user can’t turn-off the application on their device, they can turn-off that device so that it becomes offline, and finally remove it from the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com web portal. The user can also remove their iOS device by erasing it first—the user just needs to carry out the following instructions for removing an iOS device they don’t have. The user can later restore the device from an iCloud or iTunes backup. i.
Turn off the device that the user wants to remove.
ii.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal on another computer. If the user is using another iCloud application, then the user can click on the application’s name at the top of the iCloud.com portal window, and then click on Find My iPhone. If the user doesn’t see the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal, the user’s account just has the access to the iCloud web-only features. To gain access to the other iCloud features, the user needs to set up the iCloud service on their iOS device or Mac computer.
iii.
Click All Devices, select the offline device from the list, and then click Remove from Account. If the user doesn’t find "Remove from Account", the user then needs to click on All Devices again, and then click on the Delete button
visible next to the device to remove the device from
their list of devices. If the device comes online again, it reappears in the Find My iPhone application devices list. If the user’s device reappears, they can turn off the Find My iPhone application on the device (to do the same, the user needs to follow the preceding instructions for removing a device by turning-off the Find My iPhone application), or if it’s an iOS device and the user no longer has it, they can simply follow the instructions below for removing an iOS device the user no longer has.
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2.3.10.3. Removing an iOS device that the user no longer has If the user no longer has the iOS device because they have given it away or sold it, the user then needs to remotely erase it before they can remove it from their device list. For doing so, the user needs to follow the steps below: i.
Go to the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com web portal. If the user doesn’t see the Find My iPhone application on the iCloud.com portal, the user’s account just has the access to the iCloud web-only features. To gain access to the other iCloud features, the user must set up the iCloud service on their iOS device or Mac computer.
ii.
Click All Devices, and then select the device.
iii.
Click Erase [device], and then enter the user’s Apple ID and password. Because the device isn’t lost, the user has no need to enter a phone number or a message for displaying on the device. If the user is trying to erase a family member’s device, that person needs to enter his or her Apple ID and password on this computer for the same purpose. If the device is offline, the remote erase begins the next time it’s online. The user will receive a notification, an email confirmation, when the device is erased after it became online. If the user erases their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and they have their credit and debit cards in the Passbook application for Apple Pay payments, The Find My iPhone application attempts to remove those cards immediately, even if the iPhone is offline.
iv.
When the device is erased, click Remove from Account. All the contents of the user are now erased, and hence someone else can now activate and use the device.
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2.3.11.
The Find My iPhone application’s Activation Lock
The Find My iPhone application includes a feature called the Activation Lock, which is made to restrict anybody else from using the user’s iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch if it’s ever lost or stolen. This lock is enabled unconsciously when the user turns-on the Find My iPhone application on the device using iOS 7 or later. When the Find My iPhone application’s Activation Lock is activated, the user’s Apple ID and password will always be asked before anyone or anybody can:
Turn off the Find My iPhone application on the user’s device
Erase the user’s device
Reactivate and use the user’s device This feature of the Find My iPhone application can help the user keep their device secure,
despite being in wrong hands, and also increases the chances of regaining the device more safely. The Activation Lock continues to block anyone from reactivating the lost device without the permission of the user, even after the user has erased the device remotely. All that the user needs to do is keep the Find My iPhone application turned on, and remember their Apple ID and password. 2.3.11.1. How does the Activation Lock work? On enabling the ‘Find My iPhone’ application on their iPhone or iPod, the user's Apple ID gets linked to the device in addition to it being stored onto Apple’s activation servers. After this process, the user’s password will be required to disable the Find My iPhone application, erase or reactivate and use that particular device. The Activation Lock is enabled automatically when the user uses the Find My iPhone application on a device running iOS 7 or later.
47
To turn on the Find My iPhone application on the device, the user must follow the following steps on their iOS device: i.
Tap Settings.
ii.
Tap iCloud.
iii.
Sign in with the Apple ID.
iv.
Turn on the Find My iPhone application.
2.3.11.2. What steps should the taken if the user misplaces their device? If the user would ever misplace their device—whether it’s just lost or the user thinks it may have been stolen—the user should put it on the Lost Mode that very instance using the Find My iPhone application from the web-only access portal of the iCloud.com portal. The Lost Mode locks the screen of the device with a four-digit passcode and lets the user display a message with their phone number flashing to help the user get it back. The user, till then, can remotely erase the device if needed and the custom message will always continue to display on the screen even after the device is been erased. The Activation Lock will work in the background and thus make it impossible for anyone to reuse or resell the user’s missing device. The Lost Mode would clearly give the sign to anyone or anybody finding the device that the device "still belongs" to the user and "can’t be reactivated" or reused without the user’s password. To put a device into the Lost Mode, the user needs to sign in to icloud.com/find from a Mac computer or any personal computer or use the Find My iPhone iOS application from any other family members’ device. 2.3.11.3. Does the user need to turn off the Find My iPhone application before giving away the device? This is definitely a yes answer. Before giving away the device to someone else, always turn off the Find My iPhone application to ensure that the other person will be able to activate and use the device normally. The best way to do this is to erase all content and settings from the device before handing it over. This will completely erase the device, turn off the Find My iPhone application, and remove the device from the user’s iCloud account. On the iOS device, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings to erase all the contents and make it reset to the default factory setting.
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2.3.11.4. Does the user need to turn off the Find My iPhone application before having the device serviced? It is most likely a yes. If the Find My iPhone application isn’t turned off, the service center people may not be able to complete service on the device. 2.3.11.5. What if the user might forget their Apple ID and password? If the user would forget their password, they can reset it at My Apple ID (appleid.apple.com) or by contacting Apple Support and verifying user identity. The user may lose access to their Apple ID and may not be able to reactivate or use their device if they forget their password and are unable to reset it. To prevent this, it is recommended that the user periodically login to their Apple account and review and update their information. 2.3.11.6. What if the user has purchased a device that is still linked to the previous owner’s account? The user must contact the previous owner to ask them to erase the device and disconnect it from their account. 2.3.11.7. How can the user check for the Activation Lock before purchasing a used device? If the user is buying an iDevice from anyone other than the Apple Inc. or an authorized Apple reseller, the user needs to ensure that the device is no longer linked to the previous owner’s account and has been erased. To check the status of the Activation Lock on the device, the user can visit icloud.com/activationlock from any Mac or personal computer. Or the user can also follow the following steps to make sure that the user can use the device they have just purchased: i.
Turn the device on and slide to unlock If the passcode lock screen or the Home screen appears, the device hasn’t been erased. The user must then ask the seller to completely erase (or reset to factory settings) the device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. The user must never take any used iPhone, iPad, or iPod until it’s been completely erased.
ii.
The user can begin the device setup process only after the device is erased. 49
iii.
Upon choosing a language, a country, and connecting to a network, the activation process begins from scratch on the device. The user would know whether the device is still linked to the previous owner’s account when prompted for previous owner’s Apple ID and password. The device must be then immediately handed over to the seller for punching in the password. The previous owner must remove this device from their account by logging-in at icloud.com/find. The ownership of any used iDevice must never be taken by any user until it has been unlinked from the previous owner’s account.
iv.
The user will know that a device is ready for the user to use only when the user is asked to "Set up your iPhone," "Set up your iPad", or "Set up your iPod" during the device setup process.
2.3.11.8. Does the Find My Mac application include the Activation Lock? The user must be aware of how that the Activation Lock works with the iDevices using iOS 7 or later.
2.3.12.
If the Find My iPhone application isn’t enabled on the missing device
If the user didn’t turn on the Find My iPhone application before their device was lost or stolen, they can’t use it to locate their device. However, the user can use these following steps to help protect their data located on the device which is stolen: i.
The user must change their Apple ID’s password. By changing the user’s Apple ID’s password the user can restrict anyone or anybody from accessing their information or other services on iCloud from their missing device.
ii.
The user must also change the passwords for other email accounts on their device. This could include email accounts, Facebook, or Twitter, and so on.
iii.
The user must then report their device is either lost or stolen to the law enforcement (local) authorities. The law enforcement authorities might request for the device’s serial number of the user. The user can find the serial number of their device: Printed on the box or cash receipt of the purchased device Mentioned on the My Support Profile page (available at supportprofile.apple.com) of the Apple’s website, but only if the user had registered their device with their Apple ID
50
iv.
The user then also needs to report their lost or stolen device to their wireless carrier. The service provider can disable the user account, restricting phone calls, messages, and data usage so that the user isn’t billed extra when the device is misused. The only way by which the user can trace or find a lost or stolen device is by using the Find
My iPhone application. Before the device goes missing or is stolen, the user must enable the Find My iPhone application on it. Otherwise, there is no possible way by which any service of Apple can find, trace, or locate the user’s device.13
13
Finding issues for the Find My iPhone application. Retrieved from https://www.swisscom.ch/en/business/sme/help/loesung/aktivierungsperre-mein-iphone-suchen.html; http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/how-to-enable-the-kill-switch-on-your-iphone-or-ipad/; iCloud: iCloud security and privacy overview. (2013). Apple Inc. Retrieved from http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4865; http://awhite16-icloud.blogspot.in/2012/11/research-paper-on-icloud-technology.html 51
Chapter 3 METHODS
This chapter will describe all the methods that would be used to carry out the research and also which will be followed to achieve the goals of this research study. This chapter will include any software/hardware or third party technologies or resources that will be used to make the test cases and run the experiments for fetching the desired results of the research questions listed in chapter 1.
3.1. Subjects14 In this subsection, we shall include the different topics that are going to be studied upon to complete the dissertation. This section will include all the various technologies that are to be considered during the experiments of the research questions. These subjects are elaborated in detail as follows: i.
The iCloud service: As described in chapter 1, the iCloud service is the cloud storage service started by Apple Inc. as a refurbished new feature added to previously what was known as the CloudME service. The iCloud service was publically launched in October 2011 and is the cloud storage service provided by Apple Inc. to its customers. It is used to store all the types of backups available on the iPhone and the other iOS devices or Mac computers, including the iDevice data settings, photo backups, and so on. The iCloud service can be accessed from any of the platforms simply by using the owner’s Apple ID and password. As it happens that the iCloud service is also responsible for the Find my iPhone application to work. If the iPhone is ever lost or stolen, it will need the Apple ID and the password of the device’s owner to connect to the iCloud service and bypass the Activation Lock.
14
The details on how to choose subjects has been retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2632126; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=1106784 52
ii.
The iPhone (as iDevice in this dissertation): As described in chapter 1, the iPhone was first launched in June 2007. This was the first device that launched a revolution in the phones to the category of smartphones. The latest iPhone available in market is the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 5S is used as the subject of testing for purposes to complete this dissertation. The iPhone 5S has the Find iPhone application built-in. The user needs the iCloud username and password to enable the application services and, hence, activate the Activation Lock on the device. The application uses the phone’s GPS and a Wi-Fi connection or the mobile data connection services to find the current location of the phone and trace it.
iii.
The GPS service: The Global Positioning System, or the GPS, is a satellite based service that pin-points the location of the device/subject that has a GPS connectivity enabled. It talks with the satellites orbiting the earth to point out the location of the device on earth. This system was originally developed by the DoD (Department of Defense), USA. Then, it was made freely available to anyone and everyone across the globe with a GPS receiver. Russia then developed a similar system known as The Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). But in our scenario, the iPhone device, we use the GPS only which is already enabled on the device. GLONASS is not supported by iPhone and hence it is not a part of the study. The accuracy of the service is dependent on the availability of internet connection via the mobile data connection or the Wi-Fi connection.
iv.
The
service/network
provider:
The
service/network
provider
(SP)
is
the
local/national/international company that provides calling and other facilities via cellular networks on the mobile phones to various users across the globe. The SP also provides internet services in the form of 3G/4G (LTE) data connections. Such network connection is required to pin-point the location of the iDevice in addition to the location service provided by the GPS receiver. v.
The Wi-Fi connection: This is also known as the WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network); it is a technology that is used to connect any of the computing devices in the local network, without the need of any LAN cables or wires, and then to the broad and widely spread internet connection. This technology uses 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands of radio bands to connect the devices. In most scenarios, a Wi-Fi connection enabled router is used to connect the mobile device to it and in turn connect to the internet.
53
3.2. Instrumentation This section will describe the instruments or the apparatus that are going to be used or were used for this dissertation and completion of this hypothesis for the outcome and collection of the output data of the research questions that were mentioned and listed in the chapter 1. The following is the list and description of the instruments that were used to the output the results for the dissertation’s research questions: i.
The first instrument is the iPhone 5S phone. This device is borrowed from the owner for the purpose of finding the solution of the research questions of this dissertation. The device has the GPS location tracking set to on all the time and the Wi-Fi connection enabled so that the device can be connected to the Wi-Fi network as and when required. The device also has an active and working mobile network connection as well as the mobile data internet connection enabled.
ii.
The second instrument is the personal computer that would be used by the researcher for the access to the iCloud.com web portal for tracking the iPhone and for generating and playing the alert sound on the iPhone. This instrument is available with the researcher.
iii.
The third instrument is the working and valid Apple ID and password. This is required for logging into the iCloud.com web portal. This ID should also have the web-only access to the Find My iPhone application so that the researcher can conduct the experiments and collect the appropriate data. This ID was created only for the experiment purpose of this research.
iv.
The fourth instrument is the Find My iPhone application which is the main topic of the research of this hypothesis. This application needs to be installed and available on the iPhone that we are using as the instrumentation in this study. Also that the web-only access of the application is also made available to the researcher for using the various services of the application, such as playing sound, tracking, putting it in the lost mode, and so on. The activation lock is also available and switched on when the experimenting phase begins.
54
The instruments used for this dissertation are all in complete working condition and absolutely functioning as desired. All the factors are controlled. Even the location of the device when it is put in the lost mode is controlled and while tracking everything is done under strict observation so as not to lose the device in reality. The desktop computer is equipped with a working internet browser to connect to the iCloud web-only access service and use the Find My iPhone web application for mapping and noting the tracking of the device.
3.3. Procedures15 All the aspects pertaining to the experiment process conducted is mentioned in this subsection. Also the risks that would arise of the experiments conducted are identified. The procedures that are followed to perform the experiments are summarized by the following given scenarios. The research is carried around three different scenarios.
3.3.1. Scenario One: The iPhone is misplaced and needs to be located This is the scenario one where the user has simply misplaced the device at the home location and hence needs to locate it. The conditions are that the iPhone is at home location but is misplaced and needs to be located. Then, it is also that the iPhone is not offline and is available as online to the user. The following steps have to be performed: i.
The iPhone is misplaced.
ii.
The user signs-into the iCloud web portal via the web browser with the registered iCloud or Apple ID username and password.
iii.
The user selects the device, iPhone in this case, which the user wants to locate (the device is connected to internet or any mobile data network).
iv.
The user selects the option of Play Sound from the portal window option.
v.
Then the iPhone reacts to the situation selected and plays a loud alert sound (even in the silent mode).
15
How to use and which procedure to consider for research was retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/showciting?cid=10209151 55
3.3.2. Scenario Two: The iPhone is lost and needs to be located (not tracking) This is the scenario one where the user has lost the device (assumed) at some location and needs to locate it and trace it. The conditions are that the iPhone is at some location and is lost and needs to be located and traced. Then, it is also that the iPhone is not offline and is available as online to the user. The following steps have to be performed: i.
The iPhone is (assumed) lost.
ii.
The user signs-into the iCloud web portal via the web browser with the registered iCloud or Apple ID username and password.
iii.
The user selects the device, iPhone in this case, which the user wants to locate trace (the device is connected to internet or any network).
iv.
The user will then select the option of Lost Mode for locking the iPhone and start with tracking the device.
v.
The user can also display a custom message on the screen of the iPhone.
vi.
The user can then see the device on the map of Find My iPhone web application and then the iPhone reacts to the situation selected. The iPhone is locked and a message is displayed on the screen.
3.3.3. Scenario Three: The iPhone is lost and needs to be located (tracking) This is the scenario one where the user has lost the device (assumed) at some location and needs to locate it and trace it. The conditions are that the iPhone is at some location and is lost and needs to be located and traced. Then, it is also that the iPhone is not offline and is available as online to the user. The following steps have to be performed: i.
The iPhone is (assumed) lost.
ii.
The user signs-into the iCloud web portal via the web browser with the registered iCloud or Apple ID username and password.
iii.
The user selects the device, iPhone in this case, which the user wants to locate trace (the device is cannot be connected to internet or any network).
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iv.
The user will then select the option of Lost Mode for locking the iPhone and start with tracking the device.
v.
By a certain provision, it is also possible for the user to display a custom message on the screen of the iPhone.
vi.
The user can then see the device on the map of Find My iPhone web application represented by a grey dot (showing the offline status) and the request to the Lost Mode is displayed as pending till the iPhone is online again. The iPhone is locked and a message is displayed on the screen only when the iPhone comes online.
3.4. Statistical Analysis16 The statistical analysis is the section where the research is computed into statistical functions and a calculated output is generated based on the statistical data generated. Statistics, as per the definition, is the study of the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of the data obtained during any research. The statistical analysis for the dissertation is based upon the probability of the success rate that is generated as the result of the research. The statistics of each scenario is computed and displayed combined in a tabular format. The data is computed based upon the fact whether the iPhone is available as offline or online. The tabular format of the statistical testing will be something like the following table as shown:
Availability of the
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
iPhone
Online
Offline
TABLE 3.1. SAMPLE TABLE OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
16
The analysis to be used was studied and retrieved from http://hercent.com/category/uncategorized/page/12273/ 57
Chapter 4 RESULTS & OBSERVATIONS
This is the chapter where all the results and observations will be listed and defined. This chapter will be focused on representing the results of the questions asked to conduct the research. The subsections will help summarize the results of the research study in detail along with the interpretation of the statistical results.
4.1. Order of Presentation This subsection is devised to have the results ordered in the same manner as the questions asked. The findings of the study are to be described here. We will start with the most basic question asked about the topic of this dissertation, which is, why is this application needed in the first place? The answer lies in the topic itself. The iPhone or any iDevice as a matter of fact is a very precious and expensive device and has tremendous value to the user. If the user loses the iPhone, they will strive hard to recover it back. To make things easier for the user, Apple Inc. has launched this Find my iPhone application. This makes the user’s attempts to locate the device much more meaningful and may even lead to success depending on various factors. Well, since the user knows that this application helps the user to track the iPhone; doesn’t the user want to know how does it achieve this? The user needs to login using the Apple iCloud ID onto the device for this to work efficiently. When the iPhone is misplaced, the user has to log-in to the iCloud’s web-based portal and has to use the online application of the Find my iPhone application. The last location of the user’s phone is synced with the Apple’s servers. If the phone is still active (that is alive and online) and is connected to the internet then one can perform various operations on it, such as Erase the iPhone, Lock the device, Play a sound, and Display a message and activate lost mode. The application uses the Wi-Fi connection or the mobile data connection to achieve this. It uses the phone’s GPS service to accurately determine the phone’s location.
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With all these features present, it becomes more interesting to know how the service manages to lock the iPhone remotely. The iPhone uses the iCloud service to sync the user data as well as other user phone and data settings to the servers. In a similar way, the iCloud service can send encrypted commands via the internet to the lost iPhone to perform certain operations. The application acts as a privileged user and administrator remotely. This will also include the application being able to wipe the entire iPhone remotely. The user will not be able to use the application to display a message or any other feature once the phone is wiped, hence, protecting the user data. Still, one ought to be thinking what would be the benefits of this application. There are numerous benefits of this application. If user uses a third party, non-trusted application to perform the same task, there are chances that the third party might access data without the users’ consent. Or might even break down, or disconnect while performing certain operations. The Find my iPhone application is the product from Apple Inc. itself. Thus there won’t be any loss of data given that the iPhone is connected to the internet and that proper steps are taken to ensure that the iPhone is locked or wiped well in time. What if the application cannot connect to the device? The answer is simple enough; the user cannot perform any operation on the device. If any commands are issued by the user, those will be executed when the device reconnects to the internet or comes online. The commands are queued in for execution at the server end, waiting for the device to reconnect. This is a limitation where in the data services are unavailable; the application cannot perform its task. The user now asks how I secure the device. The answer seems to be relying on the application to wipe the device. And rest is assured to the user, if the phone is connected to the internet, the application will not fail to do the task of wiping the device. The service uses GPS co-ordinates on the phone to locate it and securely sync them with the server and show the location to the user. The question of limitation arises with the discussion of answer of the previous question. Where does this application fall short? The most vulnerable thing is the internet connection or the mobile data connection. The internet connection being the backbone of this application’s working, and even iCloud’s working. Without it, none of the commands will be executed. Apple Inc. needs to find out a way to get the application work without the need of internet connection.
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4.2. Descriptive Data This subsection of the chapter of this dissertation is responsible for illustrating the output data in a descriptive manner. All the test cases and scenarios are considered for the output data. The description is based on the various factors that were considered and described in the previous chapter. Every time the user tries to login to the iCloud online web portal there is a confirmation mail sent to the user’s Apple ID email account.
Figure 4.1. The confirmation email to the user’s email account The time on the emails received by the user on their email account are the timestamp of the Apple server at California and hence don’t match with the Indian Standard Time (IST). The three scenarios that are discussed in the methods chapter are explained with the output of each. These tests were performed on various occasions and at variable times of the day.
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4.2.1. Play a sound Scenario i.
Input for play a sound: The input is the button of Play Sound on the web portal after logging in the iCloud web portal.
Figure 4.2. The input screen for playing a sound on iPhone
ii.
Output for play a sound: The output is displayed on the iPhone as well as an email is sent to the Apple ID email account of the user of the iPhone. The iPhone makes a loud noise so that the device can be located if it is near by the user.
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Figure 4.3. The output on the iPhone
Figure 4.4. The output on the email account of the user
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iii.
Result for play a sound: When the user selects play a sound option from the web portal, the user can hear a beeping tone on the phone with a message “Find My iPhone Alert” with an OK button available (as shown in Figure 4.2). If the user clicks on the OK button the sound stops playing and the user can see the home screen of the iPhone.
4.2.2. iPhone in Lost Mode scenario i.
Input for iPhone in lost mode: The input is the button of Lost Mode on the web portal after logging in the iCloud web portal.
Figure 4.5. The input screen for putting the iPhone on lost mode ii.
Output for iPhone in lost mode: The output is displayed in the form of a lock on the iPhone as well as an email is sent to the Apple ID email account of the user of the iPhone. The iPhone is locked and no one but the user can use it. The iPhone can be unlocked only when the passcode is entered on the iPhone. And when the device is found, that is the iPhone which had gone offline has come online, a notification is sent to the email address of the user stating the location of the iPhone and when was it located. The iPhone can be tracked, once online, using the Find My iPhone web application and the device is tracked live while on the move.
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Figure 4.6. The email on the user’s email address for lost mode
Figure 4.7. The email after the iPhone is located in lost mode
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Figure 4.8. The iPhone is put in the Lost Mode using the iCloud web portal
Figure 4.9. The iPhone is tracked live on the iCloud web portal iii.
Result of iPhone in lost mode: After the user has selected the Lost Mode option on the iCloud web portal, the phone gets locked and the person or the individual who has the device cannot perform any action on the phone. Optionally, we can also display a message with this feature.
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4.2.3. Erasing the iPhone scenario i.
Input for erase the iPhone: The input is the button of Erase iPhone on the web portal after logging in the iCloud web portal.
Figure 4.10. The input screen for putting the iPhone on lost mode ii.
Output for erase the iPhone: The output for this scenario cannot be displayed as the iPhone was not erased. The iPhone is the in-use device of the owner and hence cannot be erased. After erasing the device, the user can delete the device from the list of devices on the user’s iCloud account.
iii.
Result (assumed) for erase the iPhone: When the iPhone is selected to be erased, the iPhone will restart and delete every file on the phone and will be as good as a factory reset. The user will no longer be able to track the iPhone, as this will erase the iCloud account from it.
4.2.4. Display a message on the iPhone (Lost Mode scenario) i.
Input for display a message: The input is the button of Lost Mode on the web portal after logging in the iCloud web portal.
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Figure 4.11. The input screen for putting the iPhone on lost mode and displaying a message ii.
Output for display a message: The output is displayed in the form of a lock on the iPhone as well as an email is sent to the Apple ID email account of the user of the iPhone. The iPhone is locked and no one but the user can use it. The iPhone can be unlocked only when the passcode is entered on the iPhone. A message is displayed on the screen of the iPhone. This a custom message and can be edited by the user to get the iPhone back if anyone, who is sincere enough to give back the iPhone, finds it.
Figure 4.12. The web portal page where the lost mode is activated
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Figure 4.13. The custom message displayed on the iPhone screen
iii.
Result for display a message: When the lost mode option is selected, the iPhone displays a message on the lock screen itself, and if the user adds a phone number inside the message, any person who is in possession of the iPhone can call the user from the lock screen of the iPhone without the need of unlocking the iPhone.
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Figure 4.14. The call with the user of iPhone from the lost mode, locked screen The statistical results will be elaborated in the next section, where the success rate of the tests are calculated and computed in the form of tables. The interpretation of the results obtained out of the experiments is also elaborated in the following sections of this chapter.
4.3. Results of Statistical Testing The results of the statistical analysis and testing is dependent on the answers of the research questions and scenarios that were computed into statistical functions and a calculated output was generated based on those statistical data that was computed in the statistical analysis section of the previous chapter. The statistical analysis for the dissertation is based upon the probability of the success rate that is generated and calculated as the result of the research scenarios. The statistics of each scenario is computed and displayed in a combined form in a tabular format. The data is computed based upon the fact whether the iPhone is available as offline or as online.
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4.3.1. Statistical Result of Scenario One: The iPhone is misplaced and needs to be located This was the scenario where the user had misplaced the device at home location and hence the iPhone was needed to be located. There are two conditions available for this scenario: the iPhone is in the online mode and the iPhone is in the offline mode. The success rate of the results for this scenario is computed in the following table of statistical result:
Availability of the
Total Number of
Failure Rate
Success Rate
iPhone
Attempts
Online
10
0%
100%
Offline
10
50%
50%
TABLE 4.1. STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO ONE
The iPhone in the offline mode did not seem to respond efficiently when the network was completely available. Out of ten test attempts, five test attempts were a failure. The preceding table explains the same. The iPhone is not efficiently responding when the mobile data connection is not stable in availability. The offline requests made were not successful in reaching the device. Some tests failed by delay in time while some requests din not reach the iPhone at all.
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4.3.2. Statistical Result of Scenario Two: The iPhone is lost and needs to be located (not tracking) This was the scenario where the user had lost the device (assumed) at some location, say Z, and the user needed to locate the iPhone. The mode that is available to the iPhone in this scenario is online and offline. This scenario is without using the tracking functionality. A custom user message is displayed on the iPhone screen and the device is located on the web portal of iCloud. The success rate of the results for this scenario is computed in the following table of statistical result:
Availability of the
Total Number of
Failure Rate
Success Rate
iPhone
Attempts
Online
10
10%
90%
Offline
10
68%
32%
TABLE 4.2. STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO TWO
The iPhone in the offline mode did not seem to respond efficiently when the network was completely available. Out of ten test attempts, around seven test attempts were a failure. The preceding table explains the same. The iPhone was not able to respond efficiently when it was trying to enter a network. The network was a bit unstable and caused multiple issues. Some requests made by the user from the web portal did not reach the iPhone, while the others were delayed in reaching the iPhone.
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4.3.3. Statistical Result of Scenario Three: The iPhone is lost and needs to be located (tracking) This was the scenario where the user had lost the device (assumed) at some location, say X, and the user needed to locate the iPhone and also track it. The conditions were that the iPhone is at X location and is lost and the user needs the iPhone to be located and tracked. The mode that is available to the iPhone in this scenario is online and offline. This scenario is using the tracking functionality, unlike the previous scenario. A custom user message is displayed on the iPhone screen, which is similar to scenario two, and the device is located and tracked on the web portal of iCloud. The success rate of the results for this scenario is computed in the following table of statistical result:
Availability of the
Total Number of
Failure Rate
Success Rate
iPhone
Attempts
Online
10
0%
100%
Offline
10
40%
60%
TABLE 4.3. STATISTICAL RESULT OF SCENARIO THREE
The iPhone in the offline mode did not seem to respond efficiently when the network was completely available. Out of ten test attempts, around four test attempts were a failure. The preceding table explains the same. The iPhone was not able to respond efficiently when it was trying to enter a network. The network was a bit unstable and caused multiple issues. Some requests made by the user from the web portal did not reach the iPhone, while the others were delayed in reaching the iPhone. The tracking would stop in the midway even when the network was available and also that the iPhone was not able to receive the network properly. Sometimes, the GPS service was not able to broadcast the location efficiently, thereby giving false and wrong information sometimes. The GPS service was efficient only when out in the open and not inside any building or structure.
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4.4. Interpretations of Statistical Results This section of the chapter will be graphically describing the interpretations of the statistical results that are explained and noted in the previous section of this chapter. The chart for comparisons of the success rate of the test cases of each scenario is also mentioned in this section and its subsection of the chapter.
4.4.1. Statistical Representation of Scenario One: The iPhone is misplaced and needs to be located Based upon the results that were computed and tabulated in the previous section of this chapter, the graph of the success rate and failure rate in relation to the first scenario is represented as follows. This graph is a simple representation of the tabular data thus computed.
Scenario One 10 9 8 7 6 5
Online
4
Offline
3 2 1 0 Failure Rate
Success Rate
CHART 4.1. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO ONE The above graph is for the scenario where the user is initiating an alert on the phone. The success rate and the failure rate in offline and online mode are represented in the preceding graph. It is a simple representation and is also self-explanatory.
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4.4.2. Statistical Representation of Scenario Two: The iPhone is lost and needs to be located (not tracking) Based upon the results that were computed and tabulated in the previous section of this chapter, the graph of the success rate and failure rate in relation to the second scenario is represented as follows. This graph is a simple representation of the tabular data thus computed.
Scenario Two 10 9 8 7 6 5
Online
4
Offline
3 2 1
0 Failure Rate
Success Rate
CHART 4.2. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO TWO
The above graph is for the scenario where the user puts the phone in lost mode but not enabling the tracking of the lost phone. The success rate and the failure rate in offline and online mode are represented in the preceding graph. It is a simple representation and is also self-explanatory.
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4.4.3. Statistical Representation of Scenario Three: The iPhone is lost and needs to be located (tracking) Based upon the results that were computed and tabulated in the previous section of this chapter, the graph of the success rate and failure rate in relation to the third scenario is represented as follows. This graph is a simple representation of the tabular data thus computed.
Scenario Three 10 9 8 7 6 5
Online
4
Offline
3 2 1
0 Failure Rate
Success Rate
CHART 4.3. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF SCENARIO THREE
The above graph is for the scenario where the user puts the phone in lost mode and this time enabling the tracking of the lost phone. The success rate and the failure rate in offline and online mode are represented in the preceding graph. It is a simple representation and is also self-explanatory.
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4.4.4. Statistical Representation of comparison between success and failure rate of online mode In this subsection, the statistical representation of comparisons between success and failure rates in relation to the online mode is discussed and depicted. The following table is the tabular representation of the comparison of all the three scenarios with respect to the success and failure rates, when the iPhone is in online mode.
Online
Failure Rate
Success Rate
Scenario One
0%
100%
Scenario Two
10%
90%
Scenario Three
40%
60%
TABLE 4.4. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF ONLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE Depending on the preceding tabular data, the following chart of comparison for the success and the failure rate of the three scenarios in relation to the online mode are represented.
Online Success and Failure Rate Comparison Success Rate
60%
Scenario Three
40% 90%
Scenario Two
Scenario One
Failure Rate
10% 100% 0%
CHART 4.4. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF ONLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE 76
The preceding graph is for the comparison of the success rate and the failure rate among the three previously mentioned scenarios in relation to the online mode of the iPhone. The success rate and the failure rate are compared to check how much the application is efficient in find the lost iPhone, when it is in the online mode (in this representation). It is a simple representation and is also selfexplanatory.
4.4.5. Statistical Representation of comparison between success and failure rate of offline mode In this subsection, the statistical representation of comparisons between success and failure rates in relation to the offline mode is discussed and depicted. The following table is the tabular representation of the comparison of all the three scenarios with respect to the success and failure rates, when the iPhone is in offline mode.
Offline
Failure Rate
Success Rate
Scenario One
50%
50%
Scenario Two
68%
32%
Scenario Three
40%
60%
TABLE 4.5. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF OFFLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE Depending on the preceding tabular data, the following chart of comparison for the success and the failure rate of the three scenarios in relation to the offline mode are represented. The tabular data is taken from the results obtained as per the test cases performed on the iPhone in the previous section of this chapter. The data is simply taken and recalculated to find the percent rate of the parameters computed in each of the comparison of this subsection.
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Offline Success and Failure Rate Comparison Success Rate
Failure Rate 60%
Scenario Three
40% 32%
Scenario Two
68%
50%
Scenario One
50%
CHART 4.5. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF OFFLINE SUCCESS AND FAILURE RATE The preceding graph is for the comparison of the success rate and the failure rate among the three previously mentioned scenarios in relation to the offline mode of the iPhone. The success rate and the failure rate are compared to check how much the application is efficient in find the lost iPhone, when it is in the offline mode (in this representation). It is a simple representation and is also selfexplanatory.
4.4.6. Statistical Representation of comparison between failure rate of online and offline mode In this subsection, the statistical representation of comparisons between the online mode and the offline mode in relation to the failure rate of the application is discussed and depicted. The following table is the tabular representation of the comparison of all the three scenarios with respect to the online and offline modes for the failure rate of the application.
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Failure Rate
Online
Offline
Scenario One
0%
50%
Scenario Two
10%
68%
Scenario Three
0%
40%
TABLE 4.6. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF FAILURE RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE Depending on the preceding tabular data, the following chart of comparison for the online mode and the offline mode of the three scenarios in relation to the failure rate of the application are represented.
Failure Rate with Online and Offline Mode Comparison Offline
Scenario Three
40%
0% 68%
Scenario Two
Scenario One
Online
10%
50% 0%
CHART 4.6. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF FAILURE RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE
The preceding graph is for the comparison of the online mode and the offline mode among the three previously mentioned scenarios in relation to the failure rate of the Find My iPhone application. The online mode and the offline mode are compared, in relation to the failure rate of the application, to check how much the application is efficient in find the lost iPhone for all the three scenarios. It is a simple representation and is also self-explanatory. 79
4.4.7. Statistical Representation of comparison between success rate of online and offline mode In this subsection, the statistical representation of comparisons between the online mode and the offline mode in relation to the success rate of the application is discussed and depicted. The following table is the tabular representation of the comparison of all the three scenarios with respect to the online and offline modes for the success rate of the application.
Success Rate
Online
Offline
Scenario One
100%
50%
Scenario Two
90%
32%
Scenario Three
100%
60%
TABLE 4.7. STATISTICAL RESULT OF COMPARISON OF SUCCESS RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE
Depending on the preceding tabular data, the following chart of comparison for the online mode and the offline mode of the three scenarios in relation to the success rate of the application are represented. The tabular data is taken from the results obtained as per the test cases performed on the iPhone in the previous section of this chapter. The data is simply taken and recalculated to find the percent rate of the parameters computed in each of the comparison of this subsection.
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Success Rate with Online and Offline Mode Comparison Offline
Online 60%
Scenario Three
Scenario Two
100% 32% 90% 50%
Scenario One
100%
CHART 4.7. STATISTICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPARISON OF SUCCESS RATE WITH ONLINE AND OFFLINE MODE
The preceding graph is for the comparison of the online mode and the offline mode among the three previously mentioned scenarios in relation to the success rate of the Find My iPhone application. The online mode and the offline mode are compared, in relation to the success rate of the application, to check how much the application is efficient in find the lost iPhone for all the three scenarios. It is a simple representation and is also self-explanatory.
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Chapter 5 CONCLUSION
Apple’s Find My iPhone application is by-far the best available application in the market today to search and locate the misplaced iPhone or other iDevices. However, no matter how good it is, it has few bugs. The conclusion to this dissertation is to give a spotlight to those bugs and loopholes in the application and also suggest ways through various analysis for covering and solving the problems caused due to those bugs and loopholes. The following sections of this chapter will explain in detail all the different conclusions that are drawn based on the research questions and the research findings. The conclusion drawn on the basis of the statistical testing results are also mentioned in one of the sections of this chapter, followed by the recommendations for further research.
5.1. Summary of Findings17 The application used for the research in this dissertation is completely dependent on the connectivity and availability of the internet connection either through the mobile data network, provided by the network or service provider, or the Wi-Fi connection. If any commands are issued by the user, those will be executed when the device reconnects to the internet or comes online. The commands are queued in for execution at the server end, waiting for the device to reconnect. This is a limitation where in the data services are unavailable; the application cannot perform its task. Anyone can misuse this vulnerability of this iPhone and harm the data or forge the data and personal information available on the iPhone, thereby threatening the information security of the personal data available on the iPhone. Hence, it is required that some other mechanism or service should be introduced or constructed or developed using which this limitation can be overcome and the users of Apple’s product will be able to get the maximum benefit of the iCloud services provided by Apple Inc.
17
Some of the ideas were retrieved from the white paper at http://awhite16-icloud.blogspot.com/2012/11/research-paperon-icloud-technology.html 82
5.2. Conclusions Drawn by Results The Find My iPhone application is nothing but a software program. A software program cannot be completely bug-free at any point of time. There are some loopholes in the software which can be seen and found out only when the user is trying for it multiple times. The major issue is caused by the mobile data network or the Wi-Fi network required for the internet connection. Despite the mobile network availability, the iPhone fails to connect to the internet due to any circumstances such as bad weather, network failure, and so on. All the results are falling under the failure rate because of the internet network connectivity failure. If any commands are issued by the user, those will be executed when the device reconnects to the internet or comes online. The commands are queued in for execution at the server end, waiting for the device to reconnect. This is a limitation where in the data services are unavailable; the application cannot perform its task.
5.3. Recommendations for Further Research Previously seen and known about the iCloud service, this service has the ability to be the most beneficial service for all of the Apple users today. The features of file-sharing and backups are now so very simple for the users, as done automatically when the iPhone is plugged into a charger and connected to the Wi-Fi network, without the user to even think about it and remind about it. However, there are a few social, ethical, and security issues, but like every coin has two sides and one is more favorable, the benefits seem to override the limitations when using this service. These issues can easily be constrained by the user when taking few extra precautions while accessing the online iCloud service, such as reducing the personal data quantity that is to be backed-up, and not sharing the account details of the iCloud service with others. By doing all of this, the iCloud service will become more beneficial. The limitations of the application are the inability to access the internet at some intervals of time. Apple Inc can improve the reliability of the Find My iPhone application by sending an encrypted text messages (for example SMS) to the online services and receiving these messages from the iPhone to recognize the commands that are executed or that need to be executed.
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The question of limitation arises with the discussion of the above statement. Where does this application fall short? The most vulnerable thing for the application to function properly is the internet connection or the mobile data connection. The internet connection is the backbone of this application’s working, and even the iCloud’s service working. Without it, none of the commands will be executed. Apple Inc. needs to find out a way to get the application work without the need of internet connection for the functionality to be more robust and efficient in locating the device. The limitation of internet connectivity can be overcome using a simple work-around. Apple Inc. can set up a simple SMS gateway for such requests. The iPhone will be sending ping SMS to the Apple’s server every fifteen minutes with the location coordinates securely encrypted into an SMS. In ideal conditions, these workarounds would work perfectly. In real world environment, the working of such functionality will be dependent on the availability of network and SMS delivery to the Apple servers. Now back to the iCloud service. The storage space in the iCloud environment is one of the main required topics for research. The bug in the extended storage space (with some accounts) showed that certain renewal dates were further over in the future than expected. Although, the existing iCloud users were granted temporary extended storage, the online storage for the iCloud system was limited to five gigabyte. With more researches on this, the users may be given the facility of extended storage with the usage of the iCloud system. Furthermore, research for tightening the security of the current iCloud service is required. Certain incidents have been noticed where hackers have created Apple ID and passwords, using the iCloud.com web-based portal (which is free to anyone who wants to use it), and entered the iCloud system using different ways. Even the Apple employees are only allowed to send password reset emails to the email addresses available on account and not set temporary passwords. This is done to ensure that the system is secure enough. Nevertheless, a research is still required to make the networks associated with the iCloud service more secure.
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LITERATURE CITED
Chapter One: Introduction
http://grids.ucs.indiana.edu/ptliupages/publications/ReportNarimanMirzaeiJan09.pdf
http://it103jacobshepherd.blogspot.com/
http://www.ijisme.org/attachments/File/v1i2/B0111011213.pdf
http://awhite16-icloud.blogspot.com/
Chapter Two: Literature Review
Apple. (2012). What is iCloud. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/icloud/what-is.html
Baran, D. (2011, June 7). Apple iCloud. What it is & the benefits. Retrieved from http://www.webguild.org/20110607/apple-icloud-what-is-it-what-are-the-benefits
Smith, J. (2011, October 11). iOS 5: What is iCloud and what will it do for me? Retrieved from http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/10/11/ios-5-what-is-icloud-and-what-will-it-do-for-me/
iCloud:
iCloud
security
and
privacy
overview.
(2013).
Apple
Inc.
Retrieved
from
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4865
Steve Jobs. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:28, Mar 03, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/steve-jobs-9354805
iOS. Details of versions of iOS on iPhone and other iOS devices. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2632126
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20150215071646AAQKPsq
https://help.apple.com/icloud/#/
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT201365
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iCloud:
What
is
iCloud?
Retrieved
from
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2697;
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2698?viewlocale=en_US; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6852417?start=0&tstart=0; https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2698?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_AU; http://www.slideshare.net/munaani/icloud-computing-seminar
iPhone: what is iPhone? Details of iPhone. Specifications of iPhone. Retrieved from https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7018518?start=0&tstart=0; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6745400?start=0&tstart=0; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6852417?start=0&tstart=0; https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6800531?start=0&tstart=0; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2632126
Find My iPhone: how to use Find My iPhone. Retrieved from http://favfind.xyz/find-my-iphonelogin/;https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2701?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US; https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2701
Activation
Lock.
Usage
of
activation
lock.
Retrieved
from
http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/127645/how-can-i-know-if-my-iphone-had-been-erased; https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201365
Finding
issues
for
the
Find
My
iPhone
application.
Retrieved
from
https://www.swisscom.ch/en/business/sme/help/loesung/aktivierungsperre-mein-iphone-suchen.html; http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/how-to-enable-the-kill-switch-on-your-iphone-or-ipad/; iCloud:
iCloud
security
and
privacy
overview.
(2013).
Apple
Inc.
Retrieved
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4865
http://awhite16-icloud.blogspot.in/2012/11/research-paper-on-icloud-technology.html
86
from
Chapter Three: Methods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2632126; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=1106784
http://trendblog.net/how-to-track-your-lost-iphone-or-ipad-without-tracking-app/
http://it103jacobshepherd.blogspot.com/
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/showciting?cid=10209151
http://hercent.com/category/uncategorized/page/12273/
Chapter Four: Results & Observations
http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robin_Walia/publication/265583259_CLOUD_COMPUTING_ _THEIR_BENEFITS_TO_FUTURE_APPLICATIONS/links/551ff4b80cf2a2d9e141a735.pdf
http://cirworld.org/journals/index.php/ijct/article/download/1156/pdf
Chapter Five: Conclusion
http://awhite16-icloud.blogspot.com/2012/11/research-paper-on-icloud-technology.html
Figures, Tables, & Charts
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6800531?start=0&tstart=0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=2632126
https://bay179.mail.live.com/?tid=cmEHjJZolE5RGZGwAhWthTDg2&fid=flinbox
iPhone screen and Find My iPhone application
www.icloud.com
87
INDEX
Activation Lock, 16, 22, 34, 42, 55, 56, 60
iOS, 16, 19, 20, 26, 57
App Store, 21, 22, 32, 33
iPhone, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 30, 65
Apple ID, 19, 35, 42, 47, 50, 51, 54, 58, 61, 62
Issues, 27
Apple Pay, 33, 49, 51, 52, 54, 58
Lost Mode, 34, 48, 60
Cloud Computing, 15
Mac, 15, 19, 20
Family Sharing, 22, 34, 42, 48, 52
MacBook, 33
Find My iPhone, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 22, 33, 44, 57
offline, 17, 23, 43, 46, 49, 51, 54, 57, 58
GPS, 32, 33, 65
online, 15, 17, 27, 34, 43, 44, 46, 51, 54, 57, 58, 96
iCloud, 10, 14, 15, 19, 20, 25, 26, 57, 64, 95, 97, 98
passcode, 38, 49, 50, 51, 54, 60, 61
iCloud Drive, 21, 23
Play Sound, 45
iCloud Keychain, 23
Safari, 23, 25
iCloud.com, 16, 21, 33, 57
smartphones, 15, 65
iDevice, 12, 14, 16, 65
Wi-Fi, 12, 18, 23, 26, 48, 52, 65
88
