iPhone Reboot (Photo : YouTube)
Apple device users are at risk of having their iPhone and iPad reboot endlessly when in range of a Wi-Fi network with a critical SSL bug inside iOS.
Skycure, a mobile device security firm, discovered a bug in iOS apps that makes it possible for hackers to exploit an SSL bug, leading to an endless reboot cycle of iPhones and iPads within a Wi-Fi network.
The company even managed to replicate the attack as it explained in during the ongoing 2015 RSA Conference in San Francisco. Skycure said that hackers will be able to do a version of a wireless DoS attack using iOS bug, according to ZDNet.
However, the chance for attacks are still quite low as Skycure only disclosed minimum details about the exploit they dubbed as "no iOS zone." The company wants to prevent malicious attackers from replicating their method and causing havoc for iPhone users.
Skycure said that specific settings would need to be in place on a Wi-Fi router in order for the bug to be exploited. In addition, a certain SSL certificate is also required to conduct a DoS on the Apple devices.
What is worse is that the bug is not in SSL certificates, but within iOS 8 itself. This means that it is up to Apple to create a patch to fix the problem and prevent future hacker attacks.
Until Apple rolls out a patch for the problem, all iPhone and iPad users can do to stop the endless reboot is to physically stay away from the bugged Wi-Fi network, according to NBC News.
Good news is that the bug has not been reported to be replicated yet in other situations. It is recommended that iPhone and iPad users take caution in connecting to unknown Wi-Fi networks to prevent such malicious attacks and having their devices broken.
