A recent video from the Veritasium YouTube channel uncovers a specific loophole that may enable someone to steal $10,000 from a locked iPhone, though the risk remains minimal for most users.
### Veritasium Video Showcases Specific Security Flaw First Revealed in 2021
Apple frequently publishes security updates for the iPhone, publicly documenting these changes. Nevertheless, the new Veritasium video brings attention to a particular vulnerability that has lingered since 2021 without resolution.
Professors Ioana Boureanu and Tom Chothia found that a locked iPhone can be tricked into processing an NFC payment through a series of specialized hacks. This technique involves misleading the iPhone into thinking that a payment terminal is a mass transit terminal using Apple’s ‘Express Transit’ feature. The video explains how this method bypasses multiple security protocols established by Apple, allowing for the potential withdrawal of $10,000 from the device.
The vulnerability only applies when a Visa card is set as the iPhone’s ‘Express Transit’ option in the Settings, and does not apply to Mastercard or other card issuers. Apple has stated that the problem arises from an issue with Visa.
Visa has guaranteed that its cardholders are covered by a zero liability policy, which would compensate for any potential losses incurred from the exploitation of this vulnerability. Nonetheless, the company characterized the vulnerability as “very unlikely” to materialize in everyday situations, despite its feasibility in a controlled setting.
For more information, you can view the complete video on Veritasium’s channel.
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