iPhone users, connecting to this open wifi network could paralyse your device
Apps on an iPhone
Are you using an iPhone right now? It might be in your device’s best interests to be wary of certain wifi connections that could restrict certain functionalities.
A security researcher has discovered a vulnerability in iPhones' connectivity mechanism which could paralyse its wifi connectivity.
What is going on?
In June, Carl Schou found that when he attempted to connect to a wifi network called “%p%s%s%s%s%n”, his iPhone immediately lost the functionality to connect to any wifi connections.
But this had a quick fix. Schou was able to bypass the blockage by simply resetting all network settings.
What seemed to be the end of a weird chapter in iPhone connectivity issues has spiralled out of control. On July 4, Carl Schou gave it another try. He connected to a fishy sounding network called “%secretclub%power”.
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It gets worse. If Schou is to be believed, being around a wifi connection with this name can permanently disable wifi functionality on your iPhone.
“You can permanently disable any iOS device’s WiFI by hosting a public WiFi named %secretclub%power,” Schou wrote on Twitter.“Resetting network settings is not guaranteed to restore functionality”, he added.
How do you regain functionality?
To Schou’s dismay, getting back wifi functionality wasn’t a cakewalk the second time around. Resetting network settings did not help, nor did a hard reset.
Eventually, he had to reach out to Apple. But before pursuing that, Twitter came to his rescue. A user advised Schou to manually edit his iPhone’s backup to remove malicious entries that were logged into the phone’s networks “plist files”.
WION has not independently verified this method. So if you get stuck in a situation like this one, these steps may help you find solace. But your best bet is to keep wifi off if you’re in a public setting and to avoid linking to connections whose names suggest malicious intent.
Apple could fix the bug in its upcoming updates. But until that time comes, exercise caution!