iOS 17.2 stops Flipper Zero pop-ups from crashing iPhones
Apple has finally shut down the Flipper Zero pen-testing tool’s ability to overwhelm iPhones with pop-ups, causing the device to freeze and require a reboot.
The attack required a Flipper Zero running Xtreme third-party firmware to use the built-in BLE Spam app to cause a flurry of pop-ups on an iPhone, eventually locking up iOS. It could also perform a denial of service (DoS) attack on all iPhones within a 30-foot radius.
The Flipper Zero app could also target Android and Windows devices but with less severe results.
However, with iOS 17.2, Apple has implemented a mechanism to prevent pop-ups from flooding devices. ZDNET tested the latest Xtreme firmware against iPhones running iOS 17.2 and found that while a few pop-ups still appear, the never-ending stream that would deluge the iPhone has been cut off.
To update your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then General, and then Software Update, and follow the prompts to update your device.
