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This iPhone hack allowed hackers to instantly take over someone’s phone

Thankfully, this has now been patched.

iphone hack using wifi
Image: Ian Beer

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iPhone hacks are nothing new, but they typically require tricking someone into clicking a link or opening a malicious file, but a now-patched exploit allowed a security researcher to take control of a user’s phone and all that was needed was to be within WiFi range of the device and possess a little tech know-how.

First reported by Ars Technica, Ian Beer, a security expert who works on Google’s Project Zero team, found a way to take over someone’s iPhone to gain access to everything on the user’s phone.

It’s all rather technical, but the gist of it is, that by using a “wormable radio-proximity exploit” Beer was able to gain access to any iPhone within his proximity, using WiFi.

You can check out the hack in the short YouTube video below:

As you can see in the video above, Beer was able to quickly take over 26 iPhones. The process uses Apple’s peer-to-peer mesh network which makes things like AirDrop possible.

The good news here is that Apple has already fixed the exploit as of iOS 13.5. Beer also states that he has no evidence that anyone ever actually used this exploit, which is definitely good to hear. Regardless, it’s another scary example of tech being manipulated to hack the ever-growing ecosystem of our connected lives.

What do you think? Surprised that an iPhone hack like this existed? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Former KnowTechie editor.

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