AirTag (here the macitynet review) has only been available for a few days, but users are already finding ingenious alternative solutions to use it, stripping it to insert it in their wallet, using it to track pets and, in the last few hours , AirTag has already been cracked to perform operations other than those intended by Apple.
The operation was carried out by security researcher Thomas Roth who managed to crack the firmware that manages the small Cupertino device. Roth first downloaded the AirTag firmware discovering that it is possible not only to modify it, but also to save it again in the AirTag memory to perform operations not foreseen or authorized by Cupertino.
The short video posted on Twitter by the security researcher, footage that we report in this article, proves that AirTag has been successfully cracked. Roth has modified the behavior of the AirTag when it is read via NFC technology by bringing a smartphone close. In the original version of the device, the AirTag is detected by the smartphone via NFC, so a message appears on the phone screen that allows you to quickly access the Apple Where is web page to locate and find the AirTag, the associated objects, as well as all the devices User's Apple.
Instead, in the version of AirTag with cracked firmware, when a smartphone hooks up to the NFC signal, the displayed message refers to a web page set up by the security researcher. This shows that AirTag can be cracked, for example also to refer to malicious websites or to carry out a phishinig attack to steal user data and passwords.
However, the real security risk for end users seems limited at the moment. This is because you need physical access to an AirTag and have the knowledge to download and change its firmware. All this assuming however that Apple does not block the functioning of the server-side AirTag when it detects that it has been tampered with.
From another point of view, the success of the hack demonstrates that even AirTag can have its own sort of jailbreak, paving the way for further possible alternative uses by programmers and enthusiasts.
According to the Washington Post, the measures envisaged by Apple to prevent AirTags from being used for stalking are not sufficient. Here instead how to restore the AirTag to transfer it and let it be used by another user. At this address you can read our review on AirTag: everything you need to know about the Apple find everything device is in this in-depth analysis of macitynet. Everything new Apple presented at the April 20 event, including the iMac M1, iPad Pro M1 and more are summarized here.