Apple iPhone Hackable: That's why you need to upgrade your Apple devices immediately

So it works

iPhone out. As if from nowhere, the device turns off, then restarts. It was shot down by an external program – without the hacker having to take it in hand. And the user can not do anything. You can see the nasty attack in a video of a research group.

But not only are iPhones affected, have scientists discovered the University of Darmstadt. Mac computers, iPads, Apple Watches and Apple TV, which were on the latest version of the software a few days ago, can be disabled. Especially frightening: in the video, the researchers turn off six devices at once. The necessary equipment, commercially available and inexpensive, is needed, says Professor Matthias Hollick, who leads the team. A simple wireless card and a programmable board will suffice in addition to the appropriate attack program. Such advice costs about 20 euros.

Attack on Airdrop

Guilt is just a handy feature of iPhone, Mac & Co.

Apple allows users to connect directly to other devices in the Apple universe via direct connections. So, you can just take photos or Airdrop contacts on other iPhones, push or transmit with Airplay videos on the Apple TV. Unfortunately, the technology used was not as safe as it should be.

In fact, Apple's "Apple Wireless Direct Link" extension, abbreviated AWDL, prevents such attacks. But she was just smarter, as Hollick explained on the university website. "In simple terms, we ring the bell with Bluetooth Storm, the active target device AWDL and, secondly, we take advantage of the fact that Apple does not completely check the data sent to the target device." And by doing so, the devices can be literally submerged by a flood of requests, until they go out.

So your iPhone will be safe again

The remedy is to

happiness simple: Only the latest version of the operating system must be installed. The researchers first shared their findings with Apple and did not publish them until the deficiencies were corrected. It is unclear whether they have already been discovered and used by other people.

With the updates of iOS 12.1, macOS 10.14.1, tvOS 5.1 and watchOS 5.1, Apple solved the vulnerability issue on all affected devices that were still receiving updates. Which version is installed on your own device, you will learn in the settings. On the iPhone you will find them under "General" and "Info". Under "Software Update", you can then start an update. To keep devices secure in the future, automatic system updates have been enabled here since iOS 12.