This Kerala youth crackssecure' Apple lock

[email protected] (News Network)
December 3, 2016

Kochi, Dec 3: Hemanth Joseph, an engineering student, has found out a route to bypass Apple's highly secure activation lock, which allows the owner to prevent others from using the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Apple Watch once it is stolen or lost.

Kerala
"I found out a way to bypass the lock screen when somebody tries to open any of devices, locked by the owner using 'Find iPhone' app," said Joseph, a final-year mechanical engineering student at Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally.

What Joseph used was the security lapse in the input fields for name, username and password. "There was no character limit in those input fields. No one will set a Wi-Fi name with a 10,000-letter name or a password with 10,000 letters so a character limit is important for fixing this bug," Joseph wrote in his blog, after his friends prompted him to reveal how he did it.

It all started with Joseph buying a used iPad from eBay for his friend and finding out that it was locked by the previous owner. While playing around with the 'bricked' tablet, he found out that it doesn't have a character limit for input fields for the verification before connecting to the 'another Wi-Fi network' option. "We can enter as many characters as we like to that field. Perfect for creating an OverFlow," he wrote in his blog.

Joseph, who calls himself a 'security researcher', ventured into the world of 'bug hunting' at a relatively young age - while studying for plus two. Few months ago, he won US$ 7,500 (Rs 5 lakh) from Google for pointing out a bug in its Cloud platform. Similar feats won him acknowledgements from more than 45 companies, which include AT&T, Pebble, Twitter and Microsoft. This time, Apple has written to him saying they are investigating the issue.

Comments

Ahmed K. C.
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

Brilliant! No doubt we have good brains.
It has been 43 years since the first mobile phone invented by Motorola, I don't think we indians have our own full fledged mobile manufacturing unit in India at all. All assembled phone parts are imported from China.

Ansari
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

Best Of luck My INDIAN Brother ....

For Viren , this is an IT Crusade i think

Keep it up Joseph

Jeevan Jyothi
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

why always talent like this is coming from kerala.

Laxman
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

Brilliant!Congratulations! Ideal engineering student,need of the hour,we need more from such people who are capable of skill development.

Smrithi
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

So iOS too is insecure ... wonder why the BJP is pushing for demonetization when a card can be hacked in 6 seconds ... bunch of hypocrites and deshdrohis ... may the Almighty save our India ... Jai Hind ...

Priyanka
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

This genius will surely get job offer from top IT companies.

Mahesh
 - 
Saturday, 3 Dec 2016

Brilliant...well done Joseph...that's true IT talent

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

•    Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

•    State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

•    Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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