Chinese authorities talk about iPhone hacking

Beijing police experts talked about a way to identify users transferring data from one iPhone to another. Bloomberg reports this.

Media journalists cited reports from authorities who said that Chinese engineers had learned to hack AirDrop, a feature of Apple technology designed to transfer data via Bluetooth. Using the new method, law enforcement agencies can track from which device this or that information was transmitted and name its owner.

Police noted that AirDrop is often used by troublemakers who share various media files in public places. A user who receives a photo or video on their device via Bluetooth does not know the sender’s contact information—AirDrop encrypts their data. However, experts from Beijing said they were able to bypass the protection.

“Our method improves efficiency and accuracy in solving cases and prevents the spread of inappropriate files and potential bad influence,” police said. It also became known that the new method has already led to arrests. Bloomberg journalists contacted Apple, but company representatives did not respond to the request.

In December, Apple executives noted the high resistance of the iPhone to hacker attacks. The company boasted that in a year not a single smartphone operating in Lockdown Mode could be hacked.