A Chinese state-backed research institute claims to have discovered a way to decrypt device logs for Apple, allowing the government to track the phone numbers or email addresses of people who shared content.
See also: iOS 17.1 upgrades AirDrop and offers new experience in Apple Music
China has a long history of censoring its people, asking Apple to block access to mobile apps, blocking encrypted messaging apps like Signal, and creating the “Great Firewall of China” to control which websites the country can visit.
To combat censorship in the country, people have turned to Apple's AirDrop feature, which does not require cellular phone connectivity and uses Bluetooth and private Wi-Fi network technologies to send images and photos between devices.
During the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, protesters frequently used AirDrop to share leaflets and posters. In 2022, the New York Times reported that Chinese protesters were again sending messages via AirDrop to raise awareness of the protests and spread messages.
Shortly after, Apple released iOS 16.1.1, which limited the ability to AirDrop images from “Anyone” to just 10 minutes for phones sold in China. At the time, it was believed that this feature was added to prevent it from being used by Chinese protesters. However, this change has since been applied to all iOS devices, regardless of their geographical region.
Today, according to an initial report by Bloomberg, China’s Beijing Wangshendongjian Judicial Appraisal Institute discovered a way to extract the phone numbers, email addresses and device names of those who sent and received an image via AirDrop from the device logs. The institute says it conducted this research after Apple AirDrop was used to send “inappropriate” comments on the Beijing subway.
See also: 4 Ways to Transfer Files Between iPhone and Mac
"After preliminary investigation, police found that the suspect used the iPhone's AirDrop function to anonymously spread inappropriate information in public places," a Chinese government statement said.
“Due to the anonymity and difficulty of detecting AirDrop, some online users have begun to imitate this behavior. Therefore, it is essential to find the source of the transmission and identify it as soon as possible to avoid negative consequences.“
The research institute reports that the sender's device name, email address, and mobile phone number are hashed in the iOS.
Using rainbow tables, researchers claim to have been able to decrypt these fields to gain access to the sender's information. China says it has already used this fingerprinting capability to "identify multiple suspects involved in the case."
See also: iOS 17.1: Fixes “Burn-in” issue on iPhone 15 Pro Max
Apple AirDrop is a tool that allows you to wirelessly transfer data between Apple devices. This can include photos, videos, contacts, notes, PDFs, and more. One of the key features of AirDrop is its ability to transfer files quickly and seamlessly. This means you can send a file from your iPhone to MacBook (or vice versa) without the need for cables or email.
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AirDrop uses Bluetooth technology to create a peer-to-peer connection between Apple devices. This means that the devices must be close to each other for AirDrop to work. AirDrop also offers security options, such as the ability to choose who can send you files via AirDrop. You can choose to receive files only from contacts in your address book, or allow everyone to send files.
Finally, AirDrop is built into Apple's operating system, which means you can use it from any app that supports sending files.
Source: bleepingcomputer
