Hackers can exploit bug in AirDrop to gain control of your iPhone and Mac
Azimuth Security researcher Mark Dowd discovered a bug in AirDrop, Apple's file sharing service in iOS and OS X, which allows a hacker to take control of your iPhone and Mac. Read on to find out more about the bug and how you can prevent it.
Image source: Apple
Similar to other operating systems, Apple is not immune to software bugs and vulnerabilities that can leave your devices exposed to malicious attacks.
Australian researcher Mark Dowd from Azimuth Security discovered a bug in Apple's file sharing service, AirDrop which allows hackers to install malware on an iOS or OS X device even if the user rejects the incoming file transfer. According to Dowd, this bug affects devices running iOS 7 onwards, and Mac OS X versions from Yosemite onwards.
The malware is disguised as an app which will be activated once the infected device is rebooted. It will then access Springboard, a tool that Apple uses to manage the homescreen of iOS devices and fools the device into assuming that it has the same access rights as any other legitimate app. Some of the access rights include reading the contacts, obtaining location information and using the camera.
To protect your iOS device and/or Mac from this malicious app, Dowd recommends that you update to iOS 9 and Mac OS X EL Capitan as soon as they are available. iOS 9 will be available in a few hours while OS X Capitan is scheduled to arrive at the end of the month. Another precautionary measure is to turn off AirDrop completely.
Source: Forbes via Business Insider
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