Author Topic: PNG images can resurrect deleted images on a apple device. (Read 1052 times)

tber123 · June 29, 2014, 07:39:36 PM

Apparently saving a PNG image on a Ipad/Iphone will resurrect deleted photos. Tried this with the images on XKCD's "What If?", and deleted images were revived in the form of a thumbnail overlapping the image. The actual photo itself will be a black screen. The thumbnail doesn't seem to be deleted when a photo is deleted. ~~Some of those old photos were deleted for a reason.~~

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/11/14/bug-resurrects-deleted-image-thumbnails-in-ios-7-photos-app-dates-back-to-ios-5
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19867729

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Camel · June 29, 2014, 07:40:18 PM

necromancy is real

tber123 · June 29, 2014, 07:42:15 PM

Quote from: Camel on June 29, 2014, 07:40:18 PM

necromancy is real

To do list: Grab someones Ipad, save PNG images over and over and over,look at all the ~~research~~ sensitive images they deleted. It will be in the form of a thumbnail.

Camel · June 29, 2014, 07:44:49 PM

it would probably be just a bunch of accidental screen captures of the iphone lock screen

xSetrox · June 29, 2014, 07:58:46 PM

Above is a transparent png. Fully transparent. It is right above the word "above" in the first sentence of this post. Save it to your ios 7 device and test this out. This is more for me so I can easily find it and save it.
not working for me
I discovered something like this when I plugged my iPhone into my linux computer. It does not actually delete your photos when you tap delete.

tber123 · June 30, 2014, 10:01:42 PM

~~Get your stuff together apple~~ Time to manually dig inside the ipad and actually delete the photos.

RarwMuffinz · July 01, 2014, 12:37:21 AM

Ohstuff. I can see my deleted ~~research~~ sensitive images!
Fix?

Anyways, the reason for this is that when you delete file. Its not actually deleting it. Its deleting the part that says that "This next segment of data is image.jpg". Until that data is written over those files will still remain.

A way to make sure files are deleted is to manually 'zero out' the file. Zeroing out is taking the binary data and writing zeros all over it. For example

Your Data

1001010
0010101
1011011
0101010

The computer will write over all of that data making it

0000000
0000000
0000000
0000000

TristanLuigi · July 01, 2014, 12:49:27 AM

Quote from: tber123 on June 30, 2014, 10:01:42 PM

~~Get your stuff together apple~~ Time to manually dig inside the ipad and actually delete the photos.

why would you do that

Frankie² · July 01, 2014, 12:55:51 AM

nice to know deleting photos doesnt actually delete them...