Technology

A new version of iOS will block a controversial loophole that law enforcement agencies have leveraged in order to crack into locked iPhones. In an upcoming version of iOS (likely iOS 12), Apple will include a feature known as USB Restricted Mode, which limits access to a locked iPhone through its USB port.

The feature previously appeared in the iOS 11.3 beta, making its way into the iOS 12 beta; now the company has confirmed the security patch will make it into a final iOS release. With USB Restricted Mode, an iPhoneLightning port will lock one hour after the phone is locked. In that mode, which will be the default, only charging will be possible through the port after the initial one hour period has expired.

&We&re constantly strengthening the security protections in every Apple product to help customers defend against hackers, identity thieves and intrusions into their personal data,& Apple told TechCrunch in an emailed statement.

&We have the greatest respect for law enforcement, and we don&t design our security improvements to frustrate their efforts to do their jobs.&

That solution should thwart iPhone-cracking devices like those made by GrayShift and Cellebrite. Such devices, particularly GrayShiftGrayKey, which promises to unlock even new iPhone models, use the USB port to access a locked iPhone in order to crack its password using more attempts than would normally be allowed. That process can take anywhere from two hours to more than three days, depending on the length of the iPhonepassword.

Federal agencies — including the FBI, DEA, State Department, Secret Service and at least five states — already have the GrayKey device or are in the process of obtaining it.

The FBIthird-party solution to iPhone cracking became a lightning rod in the clash between the agency and Apple in the aftermath of 2016San Bernardino mass shooting, with Apple pressing the FBI for details on the security vulnerability and the FBI playing its tools close to its chest.

As Apple moves to neutralize GrayKey and similar devices, anyone looking to crack into the companyfamously secure iPhone is going to need to try a new tack — and maybe figure out what to do with their now defunct $15,000 or $30,000 hacker toy in the process.

This year has been a rough one for Sphero. The Colorado-based toy robotics startup kicked off the year with dozens of layoffs, a result of tepid interest in its line of Disney-branded consumer products.

Herea little good news, however. The company has raised another $12 million, bringing its total up to around $119 million, according to Crunchbase. The latest round will go into helping shape the BB-8 maker into an education-first company.

&The recent round of funding has currently raised $12 million, and we anticipate at the time of final closing up to $20 million may be raised in total,& Sphero said in a statement provided to TechCrunch. Funding has/will come from existing and new investors and will be used for working capital as we engage in a larger strategy that focuses on the intersection of play and learning.&

Ita tricky play, given how overcrowded the world of coding toys is at the moment, but Sphero has long been building out its play in the space, in tandem with its more consumer-focused offerings.

Following the success of its The Force Awakens BB-8 tie in, the company quadrupled down on its involvement with Disneyaccelerator, releasing high-tech toys based on Spider-Man and Lightning McQueen from Cars.

&[Education] is something we can actually own,& the company told me after the layoffs were revealed. &Where we do well are those experiences we can 100 percent own, from inception to go-to-market.&

Comcast made good on its plans to make an offer for 21st Century Foxfilm and TV assets today, with a cash bid of $65 billion, or $35 per share.

That19 percent more than the $52.4 billion that Disney agreed to pay in December.

This follows yesterdayU.S. court approval of the merger of AT-T and Time Warner, which was widely expected to lead Comcast to make a new bid for Fox and, in the long-term, set the stage for broader consolidation between ISPs and media companies. (This is where I remind you that TechCrunch is owned by Oath, a digital media subsidiary of Verizon.)

In a letter to Fox executives (namely Rupert, James and Lachlan Murdoch), Comcast CEO Brian Roberts wrote that after meetings last year, his team was convinced that Comcast would be &the right strategic home& for the Fox assets, and that &we were disappointed when 21CF decided to enter into a transaction with The Walt Disney Company, even though we had offered a meaningfully higher price.&

&In light of yesterdaydecision in the AT-T/Time Warner case, the limited time prior to your shareholders& meeting, and our strong continued interest, we are pleased to present a new, all-cash proposal that fully addresses the Boardstated concerns with our prior proposal,& Roberts said.

This could set off a battle between Comcast and Disney . The assets at stake include the Fox film studio (which owns the Avatar franchise, the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four and the original Star Wars), its TV studio, its cable networks and its stake in Hulu.

In the letter, Roberts also said a Comcast-Fox acquisition is &as or more likely to receive regulatory approval than the Disney transaction& and that Comcast would reimburse Fox for the $1.5 billion breakup fee with Disney.

Update: Fox released a statement confirming that it has received the bid. It also said, &21st Century Fox has not yet made a determination, in light of Comcastproposal, as to whether it will postpone or adjourn& its July 10 stockholder meeting to discuss the Disney acquisition.