A new study has shown how threat actors may utilize an iPhone’s unique feature to track the device, as experts warn that always-on Bluetooth is now a security issue. Despite Apple’s built-in Safety Check, there are still methods for it to be used against the user, and it would not need to access the GPS for this breach.
Always on Bluetooth is a Security Threat says, Experts
A study from a team at the University of California San Diego explored the Bluetooth feature on an iPhone but looked into its security flaws and access that may be used against owners of the device. In their research, they found that keeping the Bluetooth turned on at all times may be a way that threat actors use to track the iPhone.
It would not need to access the device’s location feature to triangulate a location of a person, as Bluetooth alone could be a beacon that beams through ingenious ways to hack a device. It could bypass Apple’s Safety Check as it would not be a direct hack to a phone, and the so-called “minute imperfections” that Bluetooth has may be a way to track a person.
How to Protect Yourself from Trackers?
According to Gizmodo, the researchers said that through the minute imperfections of Bluetooth, threat actors may then use its unique signal to track a device. But they would have to do it with the use of radio signals.
Bluetooth connections have a limited tracking capability for the iPhone, but the researchers said that it used radio receivers to see the distortions a device makes when it is on.
The safest way to go on and avoid tracking is to turn the Bluetooth off when not in use.
Apple iPhone Security Threats
Apple’s iPhone was previously a device that was hard to access or hack because of its systems that have many safeguards and limits against viruses, but threat actors got clever with malware. There are many ways now to track the device or access its files, and it brings a security flaw to the device that the company is trying to avoid or fix with emergency updates.
There was also one of the most significant threats against the iPhone where a trial exposed the infamous “XCodeGhost” malware that gains access to the device that is unknown to most users. It was a breach on the Apple App Store that Epic Games brought up during the “Fortnite” trial, saying that there saw 128 million affected devices globally.
With all of these threats against the iPhone, there are many fixes that Apple brings for the public to protect them against harm.
However, some are still unexplored or may now be present but are yet to have a significant effect that brings a threat to most iOS users now. Threat actors are getting more clever as times go by, and these criminals look for many ways to access a device without a person knowing, having their sensitive information already part of the access.