Apple AirDrop and Android Quick Share are the kind of phone features you probably use without thinking much about them.You want to send a photo across the room.
You want to move a file from your phone to your laptop.So you tap share, pick a nearby device and move on.Now, new security research shows those handy nearby-sharing tools can also create a wireless opening around your phone.Researchers at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security examined Apple AirDrop and Android Quick Share.
They found six vulnerabilities across Apple, Samsung and Google implementations.The flaws include AirDrop crash bugs, Samsung Quick Share protocol issues and a Google Quick Share for Windows bug that could potentially lead to remote code execution.BEFORE YOU CONNECT ANOTHER SMART TV, TABLET OR PHONE, LOCK IT DOWNAirDrop and Quick Share make file sharing easy, but researchers say nearby sharing can also expose phones to wireless attacks in crowded places.
(Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)That can affect you in a very everyday way.Your phone may be sitting in your pocket at an airport gate, in a coffee shop or inside a packed conference room while it listens for nearby sharing requests.
If a bad actor gets close enough, they could try to take advantage of that open wireless doorway before you even realize anything happened.So, before you leave AirDrop or Quick Share open again, here is what the research found and the settings worth checking now.Free live CyberGuy class: Sick of Spam? Join us July 22.Join us Wednesday, July 22, at 1 p.m.
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