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Livemint
Technology
Livemint

Your Android phone screen lock may not be as safe as you think!

According to the cybersecurity expert, it only takes a locked SIM card to bypass Screen Lock on Pixel phones (Reuters)

David also shared a post on Twitter about the bug. “I found a vulnerability that allowed me to unlock any @Google Pixel phone without knowing the passcode. This may be my most impactful bug so far. Google fixed the issue in the November 5, 2022 security patch. Update your devices!" the tweet reads.

Explaining how he unlocked his Pixel phone, David says that he forgot his SIM PIN and ended up entering 3 incorrect PINs. After this, the SIM card locked itself. He then entered the PUK code, available on the SIM card to unlock it. While the SIM unlocked and he was able to set a new PIN, after finishing the process, he ended up on the home screen.

“This was disturbingly weird. I did it again. Lock the phone, re-insert the SIM tray, reset the PIN… And again I am on the home screen", David writes. He has also shared a video to show how the process works:

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