Is Siri an iPhone 4S Security Threat?

Some of you may be wondering if Siri is too good to be true. After all, the technology offers to solve many of your problems via real-time speech interaction. Voice dictation of texts and search parameters is convenient, but at what price? Battery power is not the only thing sacrificed using Siri on the iPhone 4S, that is unless you check your security settings.

Turns out that Siri (much like Voice Control before its time) can access a whole range of functions without ever entering the passcode lock number that protects your iPhone. Reports have indicated that Siri is capable of changing calendar appointments, writing text messages and sending emails, all without ever entering the passcode that normally protects your iPhone 4S.

Luckily the solution to the problem is easily accessible and has been included in iOS 5 by Apple. To make sure that Siri doesn't allow some random stranger to pick up your iPhone and start issuing voice commands, just tighten up security with the following steps.

Navigate to Settings -> General -> Passcode Lock -> Siri -> OFF. This will ensure that Siri cannot be issued voice commands when locked with a passcode. The iPhone 4S comes with Siri enabled by default, even if you have set a passcode lock for increased security. Unless you change this setting to switch off Siri when the iPhone 4S is passcode locked, voice commands can still be used without entering the passcode.

Overall this may sound like a minor problem, but for those concerned about security it's a pretty big loophole. The good thing is that the problem is easily solved by just changing the setting under Passcode Lock. Who knows why Apple chose to make the default allow Siri to communicate and perform tasks without entering the passcode. Most users are probably happy to have the increased functionality without entering a code if they've even set a passcode at all. If you're worried about Siri compromising your data, now you know how to fix the problem.