It seems that Apple can't quite get the security settings on some of their devices right these days. A nasty little trick has been uncovered that will allow anyone to get access to an iPad 2 if they just know a simple sequence of events, and the device has a Smart Cover. While this doesn't allow full access to everything on the device it can still expose personal information if the right circumstances are in place.
It was recently discovered that default Siri settings on the iPhone 4S allowed the assistant to be used even when a passcode was enabled on the device. Now we have news that iPad 2 access can also be gained even if there is a passcode set on that device. In the case of the iPad 2 this is actually a security flaw and not simply an issue with default settings.
The procedure is simple and only requires that the iPad 2 have a Smart Cover. To unlock the iPad 2 the user simply opens the Smart Cover and holds down the power button. Once the dialog box comes up the user closes the Smart Cover, opens it again, and presses the cancel button. 9to5Mac posted a video of this in action.
This process gives the malicious user access to the home screen and any apps that were open when the iPad was locked, including Mail. Other apps can't be launched but this still clearly exposes quite a bit of information depending on what was running when the user walked away from their tablet. This is confirmed to affect iOS 5 users and may also be an issue with iOS 4.
To protect yourself from this little bug go into your iPad's Settings menu, then General Settings and switch the "iPad Cover Lock/Unlock" button to Off. Hopefully Apple will provide an actual fix for this quickly.
