My buddy drchaos posted about a bug that impacts all iOS devices. The original post can be found HERE. I also added a update on another method to resolve the issue.
An iOS bug has been uncovered that allows potential attackers to send specific rendered text messages that in turn cause Apple iOS devices to crash. It specifically affects iOS version 8.3. When the victim receives the text message, the device either crashes or reboots.
In some cases, the message application is only affected and continues to crash even after the device reboots. Many users may mistake this for an issue with the message application rather than an attack at the iOS layer.
Being impacted by this bug is not subtle. The first time you receive the message your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in iOS 8+ will most likely crash and the device will restart.
Note: we are not going to reproduce the attack or post it as text.
If you are unfortunate enough to experience this crash, the device can be fixed by simply receiving or sending a text message. However, the problem is that you cannot use the messages application, since it crashes.
The fix? You can use Siri to send yourself or anyone the following text message. If you receive a new message from any external source, it will allow the application to recover and function properly.
Another method has recently been published on the Apple website HERE. This covers a three-step process, enabling people to open their Messages app again:
- Ask Siri to “read unread messages”.
- Use Siri to reply to the malicious message. After you reply, you’ll be able to open Messages again.
- In Messages, swipe left to delete the entire thread. Or tap and hold the malicious message, tap More, and delete the message from the thread.
The attack is based on sending a message that includes Arabic, Chinese and Marathi text in a specific sequence that causes Apple’s text system to freeze. This crashes the recipient’s device so they can’t access their messages. A fix is expected fix the error without the need for SIRI with a upcoming patch.
