Give a hacker one of these modified chargers and they can push any software they want into your Apple gadget within a minute of it being plugged in. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers warn that all users are at risk because this device doesn’t need any interaction and can hide the apps it installs from your device’s app list. It isn’t clear yet if it can upload malicious codes since iOS devices, by default, can only run and install properly signed apps.
While it is considered a worrying breakthrough, the charger itself doesn’t look like a regular iPhone or iPad charger. Since it is based on a credit card-sized BeagleBone Linux PC, its circuitry won’t seem to fit into one at the moment. The hack and the charger’s capabilities will be showcased at the Black Hat security conference in July.
Image source: Adafruit