iOS 17.2 has finally fixed one of the iPhone's biggest security issues — Flipper attack that could DoS attack "any and all" iPhones close by is no more

iPhone 15 Plus review
(Image credit: Future)

You can turn your Bluetooth on again! A few months ago, an engineer with a Flipper Zero showed off an exploit that could potentially lock down iPhones and Apple has finally put out a fix with iOS 17.2. 

As originally reported by ZDNET, you can no longer cause iPhones to crash by spamming Bluetooth notifications, though the first few pop-ups will still occur – moving a major exploit to a minor annoyance. This exploit wasn’t technically exclusive to the relatively niche multi-tool, as originally confirmed to iMore by Flipper itself. 'It’s important to highlight this is impossible on the default hardware. We have taken necessary precautions to ensure the device can’t be used for nefarious purposes. Since the firmware is open source, individuals can adjust it and use the device in an unintended way, but we don’t promote this and condone the practice if the goal is to act maliciously.

Potentially, one could repurpose an Android phone with custom firmware or any Arduino-like device with BLE capabilities to do the same. This is why we agree with the researcher that Apple should implement safeguards and eliminate the problem at its core.’

Keeping to its word – iMore’s take

Apple claims to take the security and privacy of its devices seriously and steps like these are important to back that up. We at iMore have known about this issue since the start of September, setting the rollout for this change at about three months. This is still a significant period of time and we have seen a major iOS rollout with iOS 17 and two smaller ones since then but a definitive fix like this is important and it’s good to see it addressed. 

iOS 17.3 seems set to follow this same vein with a security feature to stop thieves who have stolen your phone. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s great to see them rolling out on Apple devices. 

More from iMore

James Bentley

James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person. 

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer. 

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.

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