Apple remains mum on Flipper Zero DoS attacks that render an iPhone unusable

Apple remains mum on Flipper Zero DoS attacks that render an iPhone unusable،

Two weeks ago, security researcher Jeroen van der Ham was on a train in the Netherlands when pop-ups started appearing on his iPhone. He described the attack by writing to ArsTechnica. “My phone was getting these pop-ups every few minutes and then it would reboot,” he wrote. “I tried putting it in lock mode, but that didn’t help. Your phone becomes almost unusable. You can still do things in between for a few minutes, so it’s really annoying to experience. Even in As a security researcher who heard about this attack, it’s really hard to realize that this is what’s happening.”

If you don’t turn off Bluetooth when you’re in public, your iPhone could be the target of a DoS attack

The good news is that no permanent damage is done to the phone, although this denial of service (DoS) attack could lead those who are unaware of what is really happening to believe that their iPhone is broken. The easiest way to make sure you don’t get caught in this DoS loop is to turn Bluetooth off whenever you’re out in public. Otherwise, if someone within Bluetooth range of you (about 30 feet) has the $169 Flipper Zero device, they may either force your iPhone to crash or receive annoying pop-up messages.

Flipper Zero device - Apple remains silent on Flipper Zero DoS attacks that render an iPhone unusable

The Flipper Zero device

To turn off your Bluetooth connection, go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn off Bluetooth. Using the Control Center to disable Bluetooth is apparently not enough to stop the attacks. And after going to settings to disable the connectivity feature, it is recommended to restart your device.

The Flipper Zero device can make many devices near an iPhone appear to overwhelm the handset. It’s worth pointing out that while Android devices can also be attacked (more on that later), only iPhones running iOS 17 or later are affected. In other words, iPhones running iOS 16 or earlier are safe from this attack.

Apple has yet to issue a public statement on the Flipper Zero DoS attacks and has not included any sort of relief in iOS 17.1. We expect Apple to release iOS 17.1.1 as soon as next week, but Apple’s radio silence doesn’t leave us too hopeful that the next update will include some sort of protection against DoS attacks for iOS users. ‘iPhone. Also on the program, iOS 17.2, which is expected to be released next month.

Android users may also have their phones attacked

As we said, the attacks do not damage affected iPhones and cannot steal your personal data or install malware, at least not yet. The only thing a Flipper Zero attack can do is annoy and annoy you. Until Apple releases a fix for this “prank”, you may want to turn off Bluetooth whenever you are on a bus, train, ferry or at the cinema, attending a sporting event or you attend a concert.

Affected iPhone with pop-up message asking you to become a new user on an Apple TV

Anywhere there is a crowd of people, a prankster equipped with a Flipper Zero device could be just 30 feet away from you, ready to wreak havoc. Android users are also at risk. On Android, find Nearby Sharing in Settings (it’s in different places depending on the manufacturer and version of Android you’re using). Turn off “Show Notification” before going out in public.

No matter what platform you’re using, waiting until an attack begins to disable Bluetooth may not be such a good idea. In fact, the attacks disrupt users so much that it may be impossible to access the Bluetooth button while an attack is in progress. No, you need to be proactive and turn off Bluetooth before your phone is attacked, otherwise you may not be able to use your phone thanks to that person in the crowd getting away with preventing you from use your handset.