Apple’s Find My network lets users easily track their devices and accessories such as AirTag. However, despite having anti-stalking features, researchers at George Mason University recently discovered an exploit that lets hackers silently track any Bluetooth device through Apple’s network. The vulnerability isn’t in Apple products, but rather Linux, Android, and Windows systems…
Hackers can use Apple’s Find My to track devices and stalk people
As explained by the researchers in a blog post, they have essentially found a way to turn any device such as a phone or laptop into an AirTag “without the owner ever realizing it.” After that, hackers could remotely track the location of that device.
For those unfamiliar, Apple’s Find My network works by sending Bluetooth messages from AirTag and other compatible item trackers to nearby Apple devices. The devices then anonymously share the location of that AirTag directly with the owner via Apple’s servers. What the researchers did was find a way to make the Find My network track any Bluetooth device by using the right key.
AirTag was designed to change its Bluetooth address based on a cryptographic key, the attackers developed a system that could quickly find keys for Bluetooth addresses. This was made possible by using “hundreds” of GPUs to find a key match. The exploit called “nRootTag” has a frightening success rate of 90% and doesn’t require “sophisticated administrator privilege escalation.”
In one of the experiments, the researchers were able to track the location of a computer with an accuracy of 10 feet, which allowed them to trace a bicycle moving through the city. In another experiment, they reconstructed a person’s flight path by tracking their game console.
“While it is scary if your smart lock is hacked, it becomes far more horrifying if the attacker also knows its location. With the attack method we introduced, the attacker can achieve this,” said one of the researchers.
Apple’s response
Apple emphasizes that the vulnerability discovered by the George Mason team is not a vulnerability in Apple products or in the Find My network. Instead, the research shows how hackers could take control of a Windows, Android, or Linux device, and then track that compromised device on Apple’s Find My Network. Apple products themselves aren’t susceptible to the vulnerability.
Apple upgraded the Find My network to better protect against this type of use on December 11, 2024. The company thanked the George Mason team in its security release notes for that update.
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