Warning: Flipper Zero can crash iPhones on iOS 17 – Learn how to protect your device!

A Bluetooth attack uses a device to crash iPhones and iPads until they reboot. The problem began in September when Flipper Zero was being used to send spam to the devices. Despite updates, Apple has not yet addressed the issue. The attack uses Bluetooth Low-Energy pairing sequence to overload the devices with connection notifications, causing them to freeze and then reboot.

The attack takes advantage of the ability to send advertising packets to identify local devices on iPhones and iPads. Because these packets can be spoofed, hackers are able to use Flipper Zero to exploit this vulnerability. The device has a Bluetooth radio range of about 50 meters, allowing hackers to cause chaos in public places like coffee shops and sporting events. Currently, the only way to protect against the attack is to disable Bluetooth, but this limits functionality and would be re-enabled by Apple with each iOS update.

So far, Apple has not acknowledged the Bluetooth flaw that is being exploited, and the attack still works on iPhones running iOS 17.2. Many believe Apple is not taking the exploit seriously enough, as it does not pose a significant threat to user privacy. As of now, there is no way to protect against the attack, leaving iPhone and iPad users vulnerable to this Bluetooth exploit.