Apple Devices can be Hacked Using a Malicious Charger

Current Apple devices - the iPhone, iPad and iPod - can be hacked using an innocent looking wall charger. A team from the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a charger, named Mactans, which installs malicious software onto an iDevice in less than sixty seconds.

The malware is practically undetectable, meaning that the user is oblivious to what's going on inside their iPhone, iPad or iPod. The USB charger has a BeagleBoard built into it, turning what you think is a standard charger into a harmful computer that is capable of doing quite a lot of damage. The BeagleBoard is a low-cost (£30 / $45), single-board open source computer produced by Texas Instruments to teach open source hardware and software capabilities. Once your device is plugged in, the custom software cracks the iOS code to install malware.

Devices were previously hacked, and still are, using malicious software hidden in downloadable files which the user unknowingly installs onto their computer or another device. Such attacks never happen on Apple's devices, due to the highly secure software that they use. However, attacks on iDevices could become more popular and frequent because of the new 'wall charger' computer; unless Apple fix this gateway into their software quickly.

The team behind this clever way of hacking are the Black Hat Hackers, who aren't your usual bunch of operators. They research ways in which devices can be attacked so that we know what to look out for and what not to download. A yearly conference is held in the USA where the team announce their findings. This year they will certainly talk about the wall charger which installs malware onto an Apple device and inform Apple of how they can close the gateway into iOS. You can read more on their website.

The researchers, Chengyu Song, Billy Lau and Yeongjin Yang stated: "All users are affected, as our approach requires neither a jailbroken device nor user interaction." They later added "This hardware was selected to demonstrate the ease with which innocent-looking, malicious USB chargers can be constructed." More information will be revealed at this year's Black Hat conference starting on the 27th of July.

My advice would be to stay well clear of chargers which aren't made by Apple. Also, try to avoid downloading unknown software or apps onto your device as they may be carrying dangerous malware.