AirDrop 'Cracked' By Chinese Authorities to Identify Senders

[MacRumors]

Apple's AirDrop feature has reportedly been cracked by a Chinese state-backed institution, allowing authorities to identify senders who share "undesirable content" over the peer-to-peer wireless protocol (via Bloomberg).

AirDrop is Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users discover nearby Macs and iOS devices and securely transfer files between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Users can send and receive photos, videos, documents, contacts, passwords and anything else that can be transferred from a Share Sheet.

Apple advertises the protocol as secure because the wireless connection uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption, but the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice (BMBJ) says it has devised a way to bypass the protocol's encryption and reveal identifying information.

According to the BMBJ's website, iPhone device logs were analyzed to create a "rainbow table" which allowed investigators to convert hidden hash values into the original text and correlate the phone numbers and email accounts of AirDrop content senders.

The "technological breakthrough" has successfully helped the public security authorities identify a number of criminal suspects, who use the AirDrop function to spread illegal content, the BMBJ added.

"It improves the efficiency and accuracy of case-solving and prevents the spread of inappropriate remarks as well as potential bad influences," the bureau added.

It is not known if the security flaw in the AirDrop protocol has been exploited by a government agency before now, but it is not the first time a flaw has been discovered. In April 2021, German researchers found that the mutual authentication mechanism that confirms both the receiver and sender are on each other's address book could be used to expose private information. According to the researchers, Apple was informed of the flaw in May of 2019, but did not fix it.

Apple limited the use of the AirDrop on devices in China in November 2022, after anti-government activists used the function to spread political leaflets. AirDrop became restricted by default to Contacts Only, and the option to turn on AirDrop for "Everyone" was limited to 10 minutes.

With the launch of iOS 16.2, Apple expanded the AirDrop limitation it introduced in China to all users globally, but Apple said that the feature was actually introduced in an effort to cut down on spam content spread in crowded areas like malls and airports.

Article Link: AirDrop 'Cracked' By Chinese Authorities to Identify Senders

 

[ifxf]

Again the software vendors propensity to keep log files is a huge hole in their so called security. Apple needs to provide an option for users to disable log files.

 

[Chiromac81]

Here we go...nothing is really private

 

[jonnysods]

I think the goverment has the people's best interests in mind, glad they cracked this so they can protect society from themselves, phew.

 

[DailySlow]

Phone logfiles are a pain and as far as I can tell, can’t be accessed on Mac for editing other than deleting a line. Even worse on phone itself.

 

[heystu]

Sorry am I being a bit thick here...by 'bragging' about it they've just tipped Apple off who will doubtlessly be deploying a fix for this very quickly. Maybe they should've just stayed quiet?

 

[MacProFCP]

It boggles the mind why we are still so reliant on an evil regime for manufacturing and sales.

We need to find alternatives.

 

[mw360]

Sorry am I being a bit thick here...by 'bragging' about it they've just tipped Apple off who will doubtlessly be deploying a fix for this very quickly. Maybe they should've just stayed quiet?

Maybe they haven't cracked it at all and just want to deter certain behaviour.

Personally I'm not troubled. In the West, unsolicited AirDrops are more or a nuisance than a benefit. It surprises me that the sender is supposed to be secret. I'm not sure why I'd ever want that feature.

In authoritarian countries these unsolicited airdrops are even more of a nuisance. Imagine someone airdropping dissident materials (which is what this is all about) to your phone while you're on a train and you have no way of proving where they came from. Nice way to get rid of your enemies.

 

[Guacamole]

the regime that keeps on giving ....

 

[falkon-engine]

So let me guess, Airdrop 2++ reloaded will be exclusive to iPhone 18 series and newer, existing users must upgrade if they want the latest and greatest.

Hopefully Apple can patch it for all existing customers because this is a bit disconcerting.

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

Hooray for Communism! Screwing with people's privacy is the best! Go China!

 

[b17777]

What if they said they could crack it, just to make people too paranoid to use it ?

 

[Chazak]

Maybe they haven't cracked it at all and just want to deter certain behaviour.

Personally I'm not troubled. In the West, unsolicited AirDrops are more or a nuisance than a benefit. It surprises me that the sender is supposed to be secret. I'm not sure why I'd ever want that feature.

In authoritarian countries these unsolicited airdrops are even more of a nuisance. Imagine someone airdropping dissident materials (which is what this is all about) to your phone while you're on a train and you have no way of proving where they came from. Nice way to get rid of your enemies.

Restrict it to your contacts. Why would anyone allow anybody to initiate an Air Drop with them? I can not understand opening up yourself to the messages and legal issues that could arise.

Just imagine someone drops child porn on you and you are unaware it is on your device!

 

[JustAnExpat]

My opinion:

1. It's a Bloomberg article. They wrote a piece called "The Big Hack" a few years ago that said China put a small device on everyone's computer. Apple (and everyone else) denied it, and Bloomberg never gave proof. See https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...ny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies . I take everything Bloomberg says with a grain of salt.

2. I think this is false information being released by the Chinese government to scare people into not using this service anymore to share bad information. If the Chinese government did find this violation, they would be keeping it as much of a secret as possible.

 

[cyanite]

Restrict it to your contacts. Why would anyone allow anybody to initiate an Air Drop with them?

It’s always restricted to contacts. You can at most switch on everyone for 10 minutes. And as for why you would do that, well.. it should be obvious. To share something with someone not in your contact list.

 

[zorinlynx]

Remember, by "undesirable content" China doesn't mean evil stuff we legitimately don't want people sharing or having, like CSAM. They mean any opinion or fact that goes against the China Communist Party (CCP).

 

[sparkinstx]

"Criminal suspects".

 

[sparkinstx]

My opinion:

1. It's a Bloomberg article. They wrote a piece called "The Big Hack" a few years ago that said China put a small device on everyone's computer. Apple (and everyone else) denied it, and Bloomberg never gave proof. See https://www.bloomberg.com/news/feat...ny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies . I take everything Bloomberg says with a grain of salt.

2. I think this is false information being released by the Chinese government to scare people into not using this service anymore to share bad information. If the Chinese government did find this violation, they would be keeping it as much of a secret as possible.

You might be right. Let's see if it gets proven.

 

[NT1440]

Where are those super secret Chinese spy chips Bloomberg?

Trash source with a sprinkling of lingo (rainbow tables) to further the march to war.

 

[CarAnalogy]

prevents the spread of inappropriate remarks as well as potential bad influences

Remember this phrasing next time someone on either side wants to silence someone on the other. Don’t let people who abuse the term “free speech” erode the real meaning, freedom of expression of thought without government reprisal.

This is why words matter. The solution to controversial discussion is more and better discussion, not censorship.

This is why I don’t like the slippery slope of American politics lately. I don’t ever want to see this country slide to the point where “inappropriate remarks” made between two individuals on a private service can get you disappeared.

By the way, people laughed at me when I expressed reluctance to ever go to China based on the fact that I have commented on China on the internet and not always positively, as I am doing right now. They went to these lengths, why would I ever take the chance of setting foot on their soil?

 

[erikkfi]

Imagine a government spending all this time and effort just to see who might be talking about egg fried rice on November 25th.

 

[iPay]

So, Apple should give a bounty to China, right?

 

[koil]

Again the software vendors propensity to keep log files is a huge hole in their so called security. Apple needs to provide an option for users to disable log files.

The article doesn't mention how they got the log files. Were they from confiscated devices or pulled from Cloud backups? If its the latter then Advanced Data Protection should block their ability from accessing such logs at least.

 

[cocky jeremy]

What else would you expect from Chi-nuh?

 

[jarman92]

Sorry am I being a bit thick here...by 'bragging' about it they've just tipped Apple off who will doubtlessly be deploying a fix for this very quickly. Maybe they should've just stayed quiet?

Lol I was thinking the same thing…very strange.