![\"lock_EN\"](\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2013\/09\/05201846\/lock_EN1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAccording to ZDNet, the exploit, which has now been widely reported, was discovered first by a soldier based in the Canary Islands, who first posted a YouTube video detailing the vulnerability<\/a> on Thursday 17 September. That video details the steps to bypass the lockscreen, as described in a post on Forbes.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n [A]nyone can exploit the bug by swiping up on the lockscreen to access the phone\u2019s \u2018control center\u2019, and then opening the alarm clock. Holding the phone\u2019s sleep button brings up the option to power it off with a swipe. Instead, the intruder can tap \u2018cancel\u2019 and double click the home button to enter the phone\u2019s multitasking screen. That offers access to its camera and stored photos, along with the ability to share those photos from the user\u2019s accounts, essentially allowing anyone who grabs the phone to hijack the user\u2019s email, Twitter, or Flickr account.<\/p>\n The far-reaching nature of this breach through the steps described above offer unfettered access to a user\u2019s photos and the sharing functions of those photos. That includes access to social media accounts and emails. And by selecting the option to send a photo by iMessage, it also allows complete access to a user\u2019s contacts, and all information stored therein.<\/p>\n Apple has reportedly acknowledged the mistake and pledged to rectify it in a later software update.<\/p>\n Until this gap is patched, users can prevent this from happening to them by disabling\u00a0access to the Control Center on the lock screen.\u00a0Go to\u00a0Settings<\/strong>, <\/b>then\u00a0Control Center, then<\/strong><\/b> swipe the option to\u00a0Access on Lock Screen <\/strong>so that it does not display on the lock screen.<\/p>\n It\u2019s almost expected that new operating platforms on computers and mobile devices alike will have bugs when they first roll out, and Apple is no stranger to controversies surrounding such hiccups. When iOS 6 was rolled out last year, the company scrapped its existing onboard Google Maps app and replaced it with a half-baked navigation tool of its own, Apple Maps, that routinely couldn\u2019t find destinations, gave inaccurate directions \u2014 that led to a handful of life-threatening situations<\/a> \u2014 and incorrectly located users with its GPS function. In a rare admission of error, the company publicly acknowledged that app\u2019s flaws and eventually fired its designer<\/a>.<\/p>\n