Yes, the AirTag can be hacked. But that’s not as bad as it sounds. iPhoneeditor Michel about the unjustified fuss surrounding the ‘big AirTag hack’.
Opinion: Why the AirTag hack is a storm in a glass of water
Privacy has become a revenue model for Apple. The company calls on the rooftops to do everything to protect your personal data. Even when the FBI wants access to a suspected terrorist’s iPhone, Apple won’t give in.
It is therefore not surprising that new products from Apple are put to the test. The latest victim is the AirTag, Apple’s brand new device to find lost items. In theory, you can use the tracker for all kinds of malicious purposes (such as stalking), so it is important that security is in order.
That is not the case, a hacker showed last weekend. Stack Smashing managed to ‘hack’ the AirTag. That is, he or she was able to adjust the behavior of the microcontroller. This microcontroller determines how the AirTag behaves and is thus the brain, as it were.
Can’t see anything? To watch Stack Smashing’s tweet, click here
This is how the AirTag hack works
The hacked AirTag will not send you to the official Apple website if you scan it with an iPhone (or Android phone), but to the Stack Smashing site. If you normally find a lost AirTag and scan it with a phone (with an NFC chip), you will be directed to Apple.com with the owner’s details to contact.
Stack Smashing demonstrated the hack in a playful way, but the ‘trick’ can of course also be used in nasty ways. For example, imagine that the hacker refers you to a rogue website with malware or other junk.
However, you probably don’t have to worry too much about the AirTag hack. Stack Smashing, for example, does not say exactly how he / she cracked the Apple tracker, but it does say that two AirTags were killed to get it done.
Not for everyone
This means that it is not easy to hack an AirTag. The malicious person must also have physical access to your tracker and be a talented computer technician to get it done.
In addition, Apple has built in all kinds of security mechanisms to prevent abuse. For example, the iPhone you use to scan the hacked AirTag shows in advance which website the lost tracker refers to. Isn’t this Apple’s website itself? Then you shouldn’t open it.
The ‘AirTag hack’ is therefore mainly a storm in a glass of water. The fuss would only be justified if the hacker had managed to hack the tracker remotely and check someone’s location. That scenario would be a cause for alarm. For the time being, the hack is mainly proof of what we already knew: no device is 100 percent safe and everything can be cracked.
More about the AirTag
With the AirTag you will never lose a bunch of keys, wallet or bag again. The small tracker continuously broadcasts its location which you can check via the Find My app on your Apple devices. The AirTag has been available since April 30 and costs 35 euros. You spend 119 euros for a 4-pack.
We have extensively tested the Tag and you can read the end result in our AirTag review. In our opinion, the tracker is very handy and practical, but not necessarily indispensable. The AirTag is a godsend for real messy foxes, because you can easily find everything.