# How easy is it to steal $10,000 from a locked phone?

- Channel: [Veritasium](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA)
- Published: 2026-04-15
- Source video: [Watch on YouTube](https://youtube.com/watch?v=PPJ6NJkmDAo)
- Read on ReadTube: https://www.read.tube/p/videos/PPJ6NJkmDAo
- Language: Original (source language)

## Summary

**Hack Locked iPhone, Steal $10,000**

A hack can steal $10,000 from a locked iPhone by exploiting Apple's Express Transit Mode and specific aspects of Visa's transaction verification. This "man-in-the-middle" attack manipulates transaction data to trick the phone into authorizing high-value payments without user verification. Despite being known since 2021, the vulnerability remains unpatched, with Apple and Visa citing that real-world fraud is unlikely and cardholders are protected by refund policies.

A "man-in-the-middle" hack can steal significant funds from a locked iPhone, demonstrated by successfully taking $10,000. This vulnerability, known since 2021, exploits iPhones paired with Visa cards configured for Express Transit Mode. The attack works by intercepting and altering communication between the phone and a payment terminal.

The hack bypasses security and facilitates payment through "three lies":
- It tricks the iPhone into believing it's interacting with a transit terminal, bypassing the lock screen and activating Express Transit Mode.
- It changes the transaction data to label a high-value payment (e.g., $10,000) as "low value," thus circumventing customer verification like Face ID or PIN.
- It alters the phone's approval response to the reader, falsely indicating that customer verification has occurred, leading the reader and bank to authorize the transaction.
This exploit is possible because certain communication data is unencrypted for compatibility, and Visa's authentication process (unlike MasterCard's) foregoes a crucial asymmetric signature check when the payment reader is online, even though the compromised iPhone would generate one.

Apple blames Visa for this "concern," while Visa maintains the vulnerability is unlikely to occur in real-world scenarios at scale and assures cardholders are protected by zero-liability refunds. Users can prevent this by disabling Express Transit Mode or not using a Visa card in that setting on an iPhone. The video argues that proactive technical fixes are necessary rather than merely relying on after-the-fact reimbursement for systemic vulnerabilities.