According to BGR , in describing this new attack method, security researcher Jeroen van der Ham said that one day while traveling on a train, his iPhone started restarting itself, showing a connection to Apple TV. Looking around, Ham realized he wasn't alone, as other iPhones were experiencing the same problem. Ham said he tried to enable Lock Mode but couldn't.
It appears that iPhone models running iOS 17 or later are affected by this vulnerability.
While on his way home, Ham reported that the previous problem had resurfaced. Coincidentally, Ham noticed someone from the same train carriage sitting nearby. After recognizing the person, Ham asked him to "stop doing that."
Notably, Ham claimed this wasn't a test to see if the hacking technique worked, as he had the hacking feature enabled for 1.5 hours on the train, during which everyone around him saw their Apple devices constantly restarting.
Ars Technica explains that these types of hacks have always been possible, but they require “special equipment and a fairly high level of expertise.” Now, with the $200 Flipper Zero, anyone with little knowledge of complex radio frequency hacking can carry out these attacks.
The new attack appears to target iOS 17 devices, so users still running iOS 16 will not be affected. Van der Ham tested several ways attackers could use this device to hack iPhones. The only workaround at this time is to turn off Bluetooth in the Settings app, as turning it off from the Control Center is not sufficient.
Another point to note is that the attackers don't seem to be able to compromise users' devices by accessing data, but simply to annoy them. Apple has yet to acknowledge this attack or release an update to fix how some communication devices can interfere with users' iPhones.
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