A security researcher has found a new way to crash and restart iPhones. For that, he only needed a few lines of code. The code also works for iPads and MacBooks. In the latter case, Safari crashes when a user opens the link.
Security researcher Sabri Haddouche discovered the error in the Apple software and wrote a few reels of code to crash and jam devices. To do so, he placed a link on Twitter that could be clicked on to experience the problem.
How to force restart any iOS device with just CSS? 💣
Source: https://t.co/Ib6dBDUOhn
IF YOU WANT TO TRY (DON’T BLAME ME IF YOU CLICK) : https://t.co/4Ql8uDYvY3
— S (@pwnsdx) September 15, 2018
The code takes advantage of a vulnerability in iOS’s web rendering engine WebKit. All apps and browsers must be TechCrunch compliant if they are to be installed on Apple devices. By placing a lot of different elements, including <div> tags, in a CSS document, an iDevice becomes overloaded and so-called kernel panic is created. As a result, the device shuts down and restarts to prevent damage.
No malware
According to Haddouche, anyone can make use of the problem. Everything that generates HTML on iOS is affected by this, according to the researcher. This means that if someone sends you a link on Facebook or Twitter, or if you visit a web page with so many elements, you immediately experience the consequences.
The good news is that no malware can be placed through this attack. So no data can be stolen with this attack. At the same time, there is no way to do anything about it quickly; whatever link is sent, you can place a sun attack. Apple is investigating the case.
This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.
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