New Character Vulnerability Found on iPhones and iPads: Entering These Four Characters Can Crash Your Device

New Character Vulnerability Found on iPhones and iPads: Entering These Four Characters Can Crash Your DeviceSecurity researcher Konstantin recently discovered a new character vulnerability that affects iPhones and iPads, where entering a specific sequence of four characters can cause the device to crash. The vulnerability exploits a bug in Springboard, resulting in the device resetting and returning to the lock screen

New Character Vulnerability Found on iPhones and iPads: Entering These Four Characters Can Crash Your Device

Security researcher Konstantin recently discovered a new character vulnerability that affects iPhones and iPads, where entering a specific sequence of four characters can cause the device to crash. The vulnerability exploits a bug in Springboard, resulting in the device resetting and returning to the lock screen. While the reset is not a full restart, and the device recovers within seconds, the vulnerability has still raised concerns.

It appears the vulnerability can be triggered by typing ":::" in the search bar after swiping to the App Library. Entering the same character sequence in the search bar of the Settings app also results in the app crashing, but it has no effect on Spotlight search.

Tests have shown that the issue seems to only occur on devices running iOS 17. On devices running iOS 18, inputting these characters doesn't cause a reset but leads to some odd issues like characters disappearing and the Settings app crashing.

It's worth noting that just entering "::" and any other character will also trigger the crash, meaning the issue stems from the first three characters in the sequence.

Previously, similar character vulnerabilities have been spread via messaging apps, causing other people's iPhones to crash. However, this vulnerability is relatively minor, requiring users to manually type or paste the related characters into the search bar. Currently, it doesn't seem possible to affect iPhones through messages or other SMS platforms.

Nevertheless, the vulnerability remains a security concern. Apple is expected to address this issue with an iOS update in the near future. Users are advised to avoid entering ":::" and similar character sequences while using their iPhones or iPads to prevent their devices from crashing.

It's important to note that the discovery of this vulnerability doesn't mean that iPhones or iPads have significant security flaws. Apple is committed to maintaining the security and stability of its devices and will promptly release updates to fix vulnerabilities. Users don't need to be overly concerned, just exercise caution when using their devices and promptly update their operating systems.