Latest iOS 14.7 Beta Patches Bug That Disables iPhone's Ability to Connect to Wi-Fi

My setting will ASK if I want to join any unknown WIFI, so in theory, My phone should be save from this big … yes?

COVID will never truly go away, just getting controlled. Just saying.

As for “dangerous”, if a mere resetting network setting could fix it, then it is not so “dangerous”. Inconvenient sure but “dangerous” is slightly over the board.

The Increased Damage

The first development came via Carl Shou, the reverse engineer who initially discovered the hack ('https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2021/06/20/apple-iphone-warning-wifi-vulnerability-exploit-new-iphone-problem/'). Shou found that joining WiFi networks with specific symbols in their name (SSID) could disable any iPhone’s WiFi until the phone’s network settings were reset. Shou has subsequently managed to increase the damage this hack does ('https://twitter.com/vm_call/status/1411630091038203909'), with WiFi only being restored from a custom factory reset where the iPhone backup file is manually edited to remove malicious entries ('https://twitter.com/vm_call/status/1411753482437148683').


Fears had already been expressed ('https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2021/07/03/apple-iphone-security-warning-airborne-attack-threat-new-iphone-exploit/') that this hack - known as a format string flaw - could be amplified. The end game being to use it to inject and execute malicious code onto devices and even whole networks.

The Hidden Threat

The flip side to this escalating threat, was that iPhone owners would have to join a strangely named WiFi network to be hacked. But the second development suggests this may no longer be the case.

Following revelations last month that all iPhones are vulnerable to a simple WiFi hack ('https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2021/06/20/apple-iphone-warning-wifi-vulnerability-exploit-new-iphone-problem/'), new research ('https://www.aireye.tech/post/the-apple-format-string-bug-from-a-silly-prank-to-an-airborne-attack') from Amichai Shulman, CTO of wireless security specialist AirEye, has claimed this type of threat is potentially more dangerous than was first reported and can also spread to macOS.


“Our response research on the format string flaw revealed that the vulnerability is not only restricted to the iOS operating system,” states Shulman. “It also has the potential to affect the macOS operating system used by many corporations for employee stations.”


“The nature of format string vulnerabilities is that when carefully crafted they can be used to write arbitrary code into random, or chosen, parts of a machine’s memory - and even eventually inject and execute code,” Shulman explains. “Since it is possible for the vulnerable iOS and macOS devices to be connected to the larger corporate network, this code can eventually be used for lateral movement even if it only stemmed from an employee accidentally joining an unknown SSID. Once the malicious code has infiltrated a device on the network, it can exploit corporate data without the need to ‘access the network first’ in the typical ways.”

No this is actually quite important! Glad Apple coding team has made fast work of this - considering more and more of us are now fully able to explore our communities and world again. buy-bye pandemic.