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A Text Message Can Crash An iPhone and Force It To Reboot

Posted by Soulskill on from the easy-way-to-get-your-kids-to-put-the-phone-down dept.

DavidGilbert99 writes with news that a bug in iOS has made it so anyone can crash an iPhone by simply sending it a text message containing certain characters. "When the text message is displayed by a banner alert or notification on the lockscreen, the system attempts to abbreviate the text with an ellipsis. If the ellipsis is placed in the middle of a set of non-Latin script characters, including Arabic, Marathi and Chinese, it causes the system to crash and the phone to reboot." The text string is specific enough that it's unlikely to happen by accident, and users can disable text notification banners to protect themselves from being affected. However, if a user receives the crash-inducing text, they won't be able to access the Messages app without causing another crash. A similar bug crashed applications in OS X a few years ago.

6 of 248 comments (clear)

  1. My friend knows about this... by ThatsDrDangerToYou · · Score: 4, Funny
    His name is Bobby Tables.

    https://xkcd.com/327/

    I still laugh at this... am I an idiot? Don't answer that.

  2. Apple Watch by danbob999 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Getting notifications on an Apple Watch also protects the iPhone from the bug.

    They have to push sales of the iWatch some ways...

  3. Re: But Macs "just work", right? by mjtaylor24601 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm willing to accept a garden with walls if it means I don't have to constantly worry about what unpatched vulnerability is ripe for exploitation on my phone.

    You mean like that vulnerability where I can send you a text message and cause your phone to crash? ;-)

    --
    I wish I were as sure of anything as some people are of everything
  4. Re:Nokia phones did this years ago. by Rinikusu · · Score: 3, Funny

    See everyone? Apple doesn't invent anything! They just do it with more polish.

    --
    If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
  5. Message coming in from the ghost of Steve Jobs by idontgno · · Score: 1, Funny

    "You're reading it the wrong way."

    --
    Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  6. Re:Did they already fix this? by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I immediately tried to crash every phone of every coworker who has an iPhone within earshot of me and it didn't work.

    I too enjoy getting fired over stupid shit. Do you have any other suggestions I might try?

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?