Apple Notes App - Security Issue!

[xMJRx]

I have noticed that the standard apple notes app thats pre loaded on the i devices has no security, it's not bothered me before but today my iPad stopped working and needs to be sent for repair, this has made me think about what was written in my notes app that I would prefer to be private, these notes can include account info, passwords etc

I'm not worried about anyone from the repair shop reading my notes but it has made me think about the security of the notes app, I think it should be password protected.

If my i device was ever stolen and entry was gained everything is then open to the thieves and they could potentially gain access to all my different email, forum and bank accounts before I can remotely wipe the device, I know what your thinking...don't write your personal details in the notes app then, and you would be right, but I have so many different accounts that it's virtually impossible to remember all the details so having them stored in the notes app is extremely handy to me, so i, like many others do store details in the notes app, where else could they be stored so there available to me when ever needed?, to me, notes are personal and should be protected with a password anyway, so why hasn't any protection been included, where else can i store my details, it's actually worthless to me if I cant store personal details in the notes app, I may have to buy a security protected notes app which kind of defeats the purpose of having a pre loaded notes app in the first place, so why is there no security protection?

Thoughts please....

 

[Skull One]

iOS 5, 6 and 7 (top three installed versions) all provide password security for the iOS device it installed on. It is done at the lock screen level and it is setup for this express purpose.

Having a password on each application is actually counter productive to useability. 95% of all users would use a single password for all apps. At this point that means the lock screen would serve the same exact purpose.

For the remaining 5%, over half of them will forget a password that was used for a particular app. Which would lead to the loss of data or function of the device. And Apple really doesn't want to have to tech support that nightmare.

 

[xMJRx]

iOS 5, 6 and 7 (top three installed versions) all provide password security for the iOS device it installed on. It is done at the lock screen level and it is setup for this express purpose.

Having a password on each application is actually counter productive to useability. 95% of all users would use a single password for all apps. At this point that means the lock screen would serve the same exact purpose.

For the remaining 5%, over half of them will forget a password that was used for a particular app. Which would lead to the loss of data or function of the device. And Apple really doesn't want to have to tech support that nightmare.

Thanks for your reply, some good info, however i do know there's password protection on the lock screen which covers everything, and i suppose it does serve the same purpose, however, like i said before, if a thief does get in to my idevice, (maybe whilst its close to me and unlocked), then under the current "system" all my info is there for them to see and do with what they want, this is quite a scary thought to me, i don't think it would be counter productive to have a secondary "optional" password for the note app or any other app for that matter, there's always a way to reset your passwords using security questions etc, so i don't understand why Apple never allowed it, surely having a bit of optional security for certain apps would be a good thing?

Thanks.

 

[Skull One]

Thanks for your reply, some good info, however i do know there's password protection on the lock screen which covers everything, and i suppose it does serve the same purpose, however, like i said before, if a thief does get in to my idevice, (maybe whilst its close to me and unlocked), then under the current "system" all my info is there for them to see and do with what they want, this is quite a scary thought to me, i don't think it would be counter productive to have a secondary "optional" password for the note app or any other app for that matter, there's always a way to reset your passwords using security questions etc, so i don't understand why Apple never allowed it, surely having a bit of optional security for certain apps would be a good thing?

Thanks.

Apple has to weigh the security layer versus the "it just works" that iOS users have come to expect. Heck, who I am kidding, they demand. LOL!

While I agree completely with your sentiment here are the issues I see at present.

The notes apps stores it data as plain text. Which means if you add a password, the thief can still access the information by hooking the iPhone to a PC with iExplorer running.

If they encrypt the data based on the password, then you will lose all your data if you forget the password.

If you use the iCloud to backup your Notes, then Apple has to handle that password for the application both on the iOS device and on icloud.com. Add in the encryption factor and then things get really interesting.


For myself, I bought the 5S on day one for just this reason. My phone auto locks within 2 minutes of inactivity (which rarely happens) or immediately when I push the standby/power button (which is 99.9% of the time). To unlock, I simply push the home button and leave my thumb on it. It usually takes no more than 2/3 of a second to unlock. This to me provides full protection of my data, since the phone can not be accessed without a rather long password being entered when connected to a PC. And as long as I keep the habit of locking the phone when done, I should be safe.