A newly discovered bug is capable of crashing your Apple iPhone or iPad by simply receiving a text notification. The bug occurs when an iOS device user receives a text message or tries to read a tweet which is written using some Sindhi characters.
This type of bug is known as a "text bomb", because a malicious individual can use it to prank, bully, cause Denial of Service (DoS), or even "troll" their targets by constantly forcing the receiver's app to crash. The original message sent had the Italian flag in it and it was using the hashtag: #CaptureTheFlag.
It is being reported from different sources on social media that the text message other that your iPhone it also may crash your iPad, Apple Watch, and other Apple Gadgets.
The text bomb looks like any of the following group of Sindhi characters with any emoji in between:
For obvious reasons I had to take a screenshot so not to be held responsible for propagating this. It was tested and it works.
Text bombs aren’t something new. There have been numerous cases in the past few years where random strings of text have caused mobile devices to behave in an unexpected way. However, this one is slightly different as it will crash the iPhone to crash if the phone received a message or notification in any social media chat applications. Unfortunately there is nothing much a user can do to avoid this other that wait to install the new update from Apple. The issue seems to be affecting all Apple's mobile OS version from 13.3 onwards.
Note: If you receive this type of message use alternative means, e.g. through your Mac laptop or Twitter app under Windows, to delete the received/posted message. This will allow your phone to be able to have access to the affected app without being forced to crash. If you phone hangs completely, you will need to keep pressing the power and volume up keys, until it reboots.
It is being reported from different sources on social media that the text message other that your iPhone it also may crash your iPad, Apple Watch, and other Apple Gadgets.
The text bomb looks like any of the following group of Sindhi characters with any emoji in between:
Note: If you receive this type of message use alternative means, e.g. through your Mac laptop or Twitter app under Windows, to delete the received/posted message. This will allow your phone to be able to have access to the affected app without being forced to crash. If you phone hangs completely, you will need to keep pressing the power and volume up keys, until it reboots.
