Last month, security researchers figured out there was a Trojan horse built into an iOS device: the charger. If a hacker wanted to, they could use a modified charger (which costs less than $45) that would install malware onto any device running iOS.
True, the hack required physical proximity — not to mention specialized hardware — to work. But it was a universal hack that worked on any device, and it could make a victim out of anyone doing something as simple as asking to borrow someone’s iPhone charger at the local Starbucks.
A bad hack indeed. But Apple’s on the case.
Reuters is now reporting that iOS 7 will fix the charger vulnerability, and, in fact, already has for those running the developer beta.
“We would like to thank the researchers for their valuable input,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said.
Unfortunately, though, this means if you aren’t an Apple developer, you will remain vulnerable to this charger exploit until iOS 7 drops sometime in September. So you might want to stay away from using random chargers until then.
Still, this is good news on all fronts. Too bad Apple can’t patch away the problem of people getting electrocuted by their chargers too, though.
Source: Reuters