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Lockscreen in iOS 7 can be bypassed with simple sequence

phonebreak
Jose Rodgriguez / YouTube

If you've taken the plunge and updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 7, you should be on your guard: a Spanish security enthusiast has found a way to skip past the lockscreen in just a few seconds. 

NBC News contacted Apple, which said in an email response, "Apple takes user security very seriously. We are aware of this issue, and will deliver a fix in a future software update." Until then, you may want to keep a close eye on your device.

The workaround was shared in an article by Andy Greenberg at Forbes, to whom Jose Rodriguez first sent the video above. We confirmed that it works on an iPhone 4S; Greenberg succeeded on an iPhone 5 and an unspecified iPad model, but there's no indication yet on whether it works on the 5S or 5C, which will go on sale Friday.

At the lockscreen, you can swipe up to reveal the control center, then go to the alarm clock app. From there, hold the power button to shut down the phone, but hit cancel — then, if you time it right, you should be able to double-tap the home button and enter the multitasking screen.

That gives access to much of the phone's media and sharing capabilities: tweet a photo, email people, or use AirPlay to send a home video to a nearby TV.

What can you do in the meantime while Apple works out a fix? There's a simple fix: Go to Settings, then Control Center, and disable access at the lockscreen. You might want to disable Siri and the Notifications drawer as well, unless you don't mind people snooping into your recent communications, or talking to your phone while you're not around.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.