Apple has long gone against the tide in the tech market and has relied on its proprietary Lightning cables for years, while the competition primarily relied on Micro-USB and later USB-C. Now an expert has discovered that Apple’s USB-C cables pose a security risk.
Disclaimer: The cover image is a symbolic image
What is the problem with the cables? Security researcher Thomas Roth presented at the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg that it is possible to hack the USB-C controller of the iPhone 15 and 16.
The Chaos Communications Congress is a multi-day meeting of the “hacker scene” that takes place annually.
Roth demonstrated that he successfully managed to extract the firmware of the iPhones via Apple’s USB-C controller. While this alone does not enable cyber attacks, it lays the groundwork for analyzing the code, identifying potential vulnerabilities, and exploiting them through malware.
What does this mean for you? Initially, Roth told Forbes that his findings have no real impact on Android smartphones.
Furthermore, there are currently no threats to iPhones or other Apple devices arising from Roth’s recent findings. So, no additional protective measures are currently required.
If you still want to protect yourself from threats in the future, you should avoid using unknown charging stations, for example, at airports or train stations.
What does Apple say about Roth’s findings? According to Forbes, Roth reported his findings to Apple. The company then told him that they recognize the complexity of his attack and therefore do not see it as a threat.
USB-C cables have long been considered a popular “gateway” by hackers, as the now standardized and universally usable cables can be tampered with with hidden hardware to steal data or transmit malware. You can learn more about this here: A cable on your PC that you never think about has become the favorite source of hackers
