Tag Archives: AirTags

Apple Aims to Reduce Risk of AirTag Stalking in iOS 15.2 Beta

Photo: Caitlin McGarry / Gizmodo

Oh look, my AirTag sense is tingling. Laugh if you may, but that might actually be a thing in a future version of iOS, and we would all be safer for it.

The folks over at MacRumors spotted Apple’s version of the Spidey sense in the iOS 15.2 beta released on Tuesday. This new scanning feature comes as an addition to the Find My app and allows users to uncover AirTags and other products connected to Apple’s powerful Find My network that might be stalking them in real-time without their knowledge.

At first glance, the new feature looks very easy to use. According to screenshots posted by MacRumors, you start by opening up to the Find My app and choosing the “Items” tab on the bottom menu. That’ll bring up a list of all your AirTags and third-party Find My-connected devices. At the bottom of the list, you have an option titled “Items That Can Track Me.”

Clicking on this option bring up “Unknown Items,” which scans for any Find My-connected device that belongs to someone else nearby. MacRumors reports that if Apple finds any unwanted Find My devices that are engaging in stalking, it gives the user instructions to disable the device and prevent it from tracking any longer.

Back when Apple released the AirTags in April, we noted that one of the biggest and scariest problems with them was the possibility that they could be exploited by abusers. AirTags present a way for abusers to track their victims in a highly accurate way—the Find My network is connected to hundreds of millions of Apple devices worldwide—and a cheap way (one AirTag costs $29, four cost $99).

The company anticipated that this could be an issue, and at launch said that iPhone users who had unwanted AirTags placed on or near their belongings would receive an alert on their phones. If the AirTag stayed with unsuspecting users for more than three days, the AirTag would emit a chime. However, at the time, some iPhone users without the latest version of iOS weren’t being notified that they had an AirTag on them.

Meanwhile, Android users didn’t even get notifications. They were stuck with the evil AirTag until three days had passed and they heard a chime. This meant that if someone tracked you with an AirTag throughout the day but the device got close to its owner again at night, you would never know. Creepy.

Apple tried to address the stalking concerns around AirTags in a June update. It scrapped the three-day time frame and said AirTags would emit a sound at some point after being away from their owners for between eight and 24 hours. The company also announced that it was working on an app for Android users that would send them alerts about unwanted tracking devices similar to those iPhone users receive. The Android app is set to launch later this year.

The new “Unknown Items” feature isn’t perfect. It puts the onus of scanning for unknown devices on the user, even though Apple is the entity that is primarily responsible for letting users know they’re being stalked without their knowledge. However, it would be a step in a right direction.

Let’s hope this feature makes it out of beta and into the next iOS update, and, of course, that Android users are provided with similar safeguards soon.

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How AirTags are being used to find stolen property

Immediately after their release, privacy experts raised concerns about AirTags being used for stalking. The company soon tweaked its anti-stalking features, making AirTags somewhat less useful for theft. The disk-shaped tag will now let out a beeping noise in less than a day if separated from its owner, and if a person has an iOS device, a push alert will let them know someone else’s AirTag is with them. If a person uses an Android device, however, they won’t get any kind of alert. Unhappy that it might give a heads-up to potential thieves, some AirTag owners are trying to muffle the speaker or are sharing tips on how to remove it completely.

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How Apple AirTags Could Get You Hacked

Photo: Caitlin McGarry/Gizmodo

AirTags, Apple’s Bluetooth-powered item trackers, were designed with good intentions: They’re useful for attaching to important things like keys and luggage to help you find them if they get lost. However, said devices also apparently come with a small design flaw—one that could allow an unscrupulous individual to use them in a malicious manner.

Bobby Rauch, a penetration tester and security researcher, recently contacted cybersecurity blogger Brian Krebs about an exploit he had discovered that would allow the tracking devices to be used as a potential vector for credential hijacking and data theft. The attack, which takes advantage of the way Apple’s “Lost Mode” is set up, could target an unsuspecting good samaritan—somebody who finds an AirTag left in a public place and wants to return the item to its proper owner.

When they go missing, AirTags can be tracked remotely via Apple’s Find My app, but a person who finds a lost tag can also help return it to its owner. An AirTag can be scanned via an iPhone or Android device’s NFC reader, and if the AirTag has been placed in “Lost Mode,” it will automatically reveal to the finder any contact information that has been associated with the device. AirTag owners can set this up through Find My to include a phone number or email address and can also input a short message—probably something to the degree of, “Hey, this is mine, please return to XYZ.” When someone finds and scans the AirTag, they will automatically be prompted on their phone to visit a unique URL that displays the owner’s contact information and message. In essence, it’s a similar concept to dog tags, which usually come equipped with contact information for where to return a lost pooch.

However, while this is a well-intentioned feature, it nevertheless opens up the Good Samaritan to potential attack. That’s because there is currently nothing to stop an AirTag owner from injecting arbitrary code into the phone number field of the device’s URL. Such code could be used to send the AirTag finder to a phishing site or other malicious webpage designed to harvest credentials or steal their personal information, Rauch recently told Krebs. In theory, a malcontented creep could thus purchase AirTags for the specific purpose of converting them into malicious trojans, then leave them scattered around for an unsuspecting person to pick up.

Krebs aptly compares this to that classic ploy wherein a hacker will leave a nondescript flash drive lying around—usually in a company parking lot or some other public space. Eventually, some curious, ill-fated person will pick that USB drive up and plug it into their computer, thus silently releasing whatever malware is concealed within. Similarly, a bad actor could conspicuously leave AirTags lying around along with a “lost” item or two, and just wait for someone to pick it up and try to helpfully return it to its rightful owner.

Apple has apparently been slow to respond to this issue. Rauch, who discovered the exploit, told Krebs that he had reached out to the company in June and that they basically blew him off. For three months, Apple representatives merely told Rauch that they were “still investigating” his claims, but wouldn’t commit to publicly disclosing the issue or tell him whether he qualified for their bug bounty program. Finally, when Rauch reached out to Krebs last Friday, the company finally got back to him and said that they planned to fix the bug in an upcoming update. They also asked him not to publicize his findings.

However, Rauch has now done just that, penning his own blog that explains how the exploit works: “An attacker can create weaponized AirTags, and leave them around, victimizing innocent people who are simply trying to help a person find their lost AirTag,” he writes.

We reached out to Apple for comment on all of this. At the time of publication, they had not gotten back to us. We will update this story if they reply.

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Apple Will Not Release AirTags, New iPads On March 16: Report

Rumors that Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) will hold a special hardware event next month and release new iPad Pro models, iPad mini, and AirTags have been dismissed by a leading watcher of the tech giant, Apple Insider reported Sunday.

What Happened: Mark Gurman, known for his scoops on the Cupertino, California-based company, poured cold water on the rumors that Apple was releasing new iPad models and AirTags.

Last April, Apple accidentally confirmed the existence of AirTags, a product akin to Tile. The circular disks can be attached to items, which can be tracked by users. 

Why It Matters: The rumors surrounding the iPads and AirTags were fueled by Twitter posts, which a South Korean publication picked up and ran in a report, noted Apple Insider.

Last month, it was reported that AirTags could be on track for a 2021 launch, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. 

Apple also is looking to manufacture iPads in India as it makes an effort to move away from Chinese manufacturing, according to Reuters. 

Price Action: Apple shares closed nearly 0.1% higher at $129.87 on Friday and fell 0.12% in the after-hours trading. 

© 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.



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Apple will not hold iPad Pro, ‘AirTags’ launch event on March 16

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman poured cold water on rumors of a special Apple hardware event supposedly scheduled for March 16, rumblings that began making the rounds late in the week on the back of unsubstantiated tweets.

Earlier this week, Twitter accounts “LeaksApplePro” and “FrontTron” claimed Apple was planning to release a new iPad Pro models, iPad mini and “AirTags” tracking hardware at a keynote event on March 16. South Korean publication Economic Daily News subsequently picked up and ran with the uncorroborated gossip in a report that has since been cited by numerous online outlets.

“LeaksApplePro” is not known to have insight into Apple’s business and has in the past made erroneous claims pertaining to new products and launch timelines. “FrontTron,” meanwhile, appears to focus on Samsung devices and is largely an unknown in the Apple world. While not a purveyor of inaccurate predictions like “LeaksApplePro,” “FrontTron” has no track record in the field.

On Friday, Gurman, a well-connected insider with solid Apple sources, put the nail in the coffin and confirmed on Twitter that there will be no event on March 16. While he fails to specify when the company intends to hold its typical spring event, Gurman notes “AirTags” will not be released on the 16th.

The apparently false Twitter “reports” were likely educated guesses based on legitimate reporting and historical launch dates.

Apple is anticipated to introduce new iPad hardware this spring in lockstep with its annual release cycle. Multiple reports point to an announcement sometime in March, though that date could be pushed back due to lingering development and supply chain delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.



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