A tiny machine is chargeable for sending iPhones into unending denial-of-service (DoS) loops. As of now, the one surefire strategy to maintain your iPhone protected is to show off your Bluetooth connection in public locations, which may be relatively annoying.
Safety researcher Jeroen van der Ham (through Ars Technica) says he was on a practice the opposite day, and his iPhone began rebooting, exhibiting a connection to an Apple TV beforehand. When he appeared round, he noticed he wasn’t the one one, as different iPhones have been affected by the identical situation.
He mentioned he tried to activate Lockdown Mode, but it surely didn’t assist. On his method again house, it began taking place once more. He says: “Superb coincidence, this particular person occurs to be in the identical carriage on my method again. I acknowledged him and requested him to cease that (…) This was not simply testing this on the practice to see if the DoS method was working; this particular person had this on for 1,5 hours straight on the practice, the place all people round him sees their Apple units rebooting continuously.”
Assaults utilizing Bluetooth will grow to be extra widespread, and you’ll’t do a lot to cease it
Ars Technica explains that a lot of these hacks have all the time been doable, however they required “particular tools and a good quantity of experience.” Now, with a $200 Flipper Zero, virtually anybody with little data of advanced radio frequency hacking can carry out these assaults.
This new assault appears to give attention to iOS 17 units, so for those who’re nonetheless operating iOS 16, it received’t have an effect on you. Van der Ham examined a number of methods an attacker can use this machine to hack your iPhone. One of many methods is simply an annoying message exhibiting {that a} Bluetooth low-energy machine is close by. One other one, for instance, makes your iPhone crash – the one utilized by the hacker on the practice.
The one workaround for the time being is popping Bluetooth off within the Settings app. Toggling off Bluetooth from the Management Middle isn’t sufficient.
That mentioned, it doesn’t appear the attacker can compromise your machine by accessing your knowledge; they’ll solely annoy you. Apple has but to acknowledge this assault or situation an replace to repair how some communicators can intervene along with your iPhone.
