OnKey Founder Says iPhone 11 and Earlier Models Should Not Store Recovery Phrases
OnKey founder Yishi said older iPhones may pose security risks when used as cold wallets for crypto assets. According to Odaily, vulnerabilities affecting iPhone 4S through iPhone X, as well as iPhone XS, XR, 11 series and the second-generation iPhone SE, involve device boot code and cannot be fixed through iOS updates.Attackers with physical access to a device could use its USB port to execute code before iOS starts, and enabling airplane mode would not prevent such an attack. Yishi advised against storing recovery phrases on iPhone 11 and earlier models. Users who have saved phrases on these devices should generate new ones in a trusted environment and move their assets, rather than simply creating a new wallet address under the existing phrase.Yishi also recommended updating device software, using stronger device and wallet passwords, avoiding public USB charging ports, and guarding against physical access while devices are out of their owners’ control. In an earlier post on X, Yishi recommended using an iPhone as a cold wallet only if it was an iPhone 17 or newer.