New iPhone Security Hack Allows Total Take over Of Device. Ian Beer recently discovered a devastating iPhone hack allowing attackers to take complete control over a target device from a distance with absolutely no action required on the part of an unsuspecting victim.
Virtually every iPhone security hack out there requires some user action. Hackers use social engineering tricks to get their victims to tap a link, open a file, grant permissions, or something similar, and then abuse those permissions once they have them.
This attack is different. A hacker take over control of a device with no action on the unsuspecting user and does pretty much anything they want with the device.
At the heart of the vulnerability is AWDL, the protocol Apple iPhone uses that allowing Mac, iPhones, and other devices to create a peer-to-peer mesh network, enabling features like AirPlay and AirDrop.
Without getting into the technical details, the hacker can remotely reboot your iPhone and take over control when they come back online, having full access to your photos, messages, and all of your user data.
Apple has a patch for the iPhone exploit from May 2020. If it’s been a while since updating your iPhone, you might be vulnerable.
Given that this is an obscure, technical exploit, it’s not surprising that there’s no evidence of the take over in the wild. The fact there are undoubtedly many iPhones out there not updating, and vulnerable to the hack is terrifying. Make sure your iPhone is up to date, and at the very least, you’ll be able to take this off of your list of things to worry.
