SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge
EN
RU

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
EN
Lang
EN
RU
Archive
TOP Security!
16 Feb 2016

Setting this date on iPhone or iPad will kill your device

Don’t Try this at Home! An interesting software bug has been discovered in Apple's iOS operating system that could kill your iPhone, iPad or iPod Dead Permanently. Yes, you heard me right.

An issue with the date and time system in iOS had emerged recently when Reddit users started warning people that changing your iPhone's or any iOS device's date to January 1, 1970, will brick your iPhone forever.

You can watch the whole process in the video given below. Even regular recovery tricks do not work. So, you are recommended to Not Try This Trick with your iOS device really – unless you book a trip to your local Apple Store. While I don’t have any intention or desire to try it out with my iPhone 6s to confirm the authenticity of the bug, it is pretty much clear based on reports that seem legitimate. YouTuber Zach Straley first discovered the issue, which was later confirmed by iClarified, who tested the trick on an iOS device.

Affected iOS Devices

This bug affects any iOS device that uses 64-bit A7, A8, A8X, A9 and A9X processors and runs iOS 8 or newer, including iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. However, for those running on 32-bit iOS versions are not affected by this issue.

How the Bug Kills the iPhone?

Basically, the whole process is due to this:

Set up the date to January 1, 1970, via settings on your iOS device, Reboot your device, and you are done.

Your iPhone or iPad will no longer boot and will be stuck to the Apple logo. Even recovery mode restore or DFU mode will not let you restore your device; it will remain stuck on the bootup screen.

Your device will reportedly not come back, and the only way to get it back to work once again is to take your iOS device to an Apple Store.

The Only Way to Get Your iPhone Back

The bug is believed to be related to UNIX timestamp epoch that causes the kernel to crash. The only way to get it back is to open the device's casing and physically disconnect the battery from the logic board. This could only be done with the help of Apple's Genius Bar. This process will reset the iPhone's date and allow it to boot. While there isn't any other fix at the moment, Apple is expected to come up with a software update to fix and unbrick the affected iOS devices.

Though some users are saying that letting the battery drain could make the iPhone work once again, or changing the SIM card could fix the issue, or waiting for the device to back after 5 hours, you are still advised to not try this on your device as there is no guarantee these tricks are going to work.

Tags:
iPhone information leaks Apple
Source:
The Hacker News
1374
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015