this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2023
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Apple Shuts Down Flipper Zero’s Ability to Shut Down iPhones::IOS 17.2 cut off Flipper Zero users running the Xtreme third-party firmware from mass-spamming popups at iPhones.

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[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 17 points 11 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Apple silently fixed an exploit that let Flipper Zero devices mass-bombard nearby iPhones with popup notifications, so much so they would essentially disable users’ phones requiring a restart.

Flipper Zero is a small multi-tool able to mimic NFC, RFID, or other radio signals.

With that, a Flipper Zero user could stand in a busy intersection and hit all iPhones in a 30-foot radius with popup notifications, enough to make the Apple device lock up and require a restart.

You can’t get the Xtreme firmware from Flipper’s own third-party app store, but it is still easy for anybody to download and install it on their NFC-replicating device.

The latest iOS update added a number of handy features like the Journal app, but as usual, Apple doesn’t expand on all its security fixes in its release notes.

Notably, iOS 17.3 is supposed to add a heap of anti-theft features, but we’ll need to wait and see whether Apple or any other device maker can put a stop to these annoying Bluetooth messages altogether.


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