The return of the iOS 1970 bug (which can literally render your device unusable) is a fact, with two security researchers reporting that they managed to create an automated exploit that can exploit the same bug over Wi-Fi connections, without requiring physical access to a user's device.
Last February, users began complaining on Reddit about a new bug that occurs when the iPhone's date is set to 01/01/1970. Users reported that after resetting their phone, the iPhone would get stuck on the Apple logo and eventually stop working altogether. Apple acknowledged the issue and issued a bug fix with the release of iOS 9.3.1 at the end of March.
After several weeks, and in order for users to have updated their devices, two security researchers, Patrick Kelley (PacketSled) and Matt Harrigan (Critical Assets), presented the results of a research they conducted on the iOS 1970 bug.
The two researchers, motivated by the highly destructive potential of the 1970 bug, began working on a method to exploit this vulnerability remotely, without requiring physical access to the user's device. Kelley and Harrigan discovered that they could create a malicious WiFi network and then run an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server on that network that would receive time syncing requests made to time.apple.com and respond arbitrarily to them, synchronizing the vulnerable devices to December 31, 1969, at 23:59:00.
After one minute, devices vulnerable to the 1970 bug will reach the problematic date. The researchers claim that iOS devices (including iPhones and iPads) will not crash immediately, as in the original scenario, but will slowly start to heat up and become unresponsive.
It takes about 20 minutes to destroy iOS devices.
After about 20 minutes, the devices will reach critical temperatures, the battery will be damaged, and your iPhone or iPad will be unusable forever.
Researchers recommend that users update their devices to iOS 9.3.1 as soon as possible, and set them to not automatically connect to untrusted WiFi networks. Researchers also warn of a risk of devices catching fire as battery temperatures reach dangerously high levels.
[su_button url=”https://www.secnews.gr/102761/krasarisma-efarmogwn-sto-ios-9-3/” target=”blank” style=”glass” background=”#0957056″ wide=”yes” center=”yes”]See also: Apps crashing in iOS 9.3; Upgrade immediately![/su_button]
