Illustration by Lille Allen / The Verge
Security researchers have discovered that iPhones updated to iOS 17 are susceptible to a Bluetooth attack using a Flipper Zero device that can crash the phone. Ars Technica reports that security researcher Jeroen van der Ham fell victim to the exploit on a train journey last month, with his phone displaying multiple pop-up windows before rebooting.
Van der Ham discovered that the attacker, another passenger on the train, was using a Flipper Zero device with custom firmware to send a combination of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) alerts to nearby iPhone handsets running iOS 17.
The Flipper Zero is a very powerful device that we described as the Swiss Army knife of antennas last year. It’s a small orange and white plastic gadget with a 1.4-inch…