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Apple steps up security with native two-factor and 6-digit passcodes in iOS 9

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Nestled in the middle of iOS 9 announcements were two security-related bumps: Apple now suggests you sete a six-digit passcode instead of a four-digit one; and two-factor authentication becomes a built-in part of iOS (and OS X) rather than an afterthought.</p><h2>Orders of magnitude harder</h2>
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The first change is easier to explain. It’s up to 100 times harder to crack a truly random six-digit code (that is, not a pattern like “111111” or “123456”) than the same four-digit code. While brute forcing 10,000 codes into an iOS device seems unlikely, a set of researchers recently exploited a power-off issue in iOS devices to create an automated four-digit cracking system (http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/iphone-pin-pass-code/). Breaking the code takes from 6 seconds to 17 hours, they say.</p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="/article/2933018/apple-steps-up-security-with-native-two-factor-and-6-digit-passcodes-in-ios-9.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here[/url]</p></section></article>

Source: Apple steps up security with native two-factor and 6-digit passcodes in iOS 9 (http://www.macworld.com/article/2933018/apple-steps-up-security-with-native-two-factor-and-6-digit-passcodes-in-ios-9.html#tk.rss_all)