These Dummy IOS Lightning Cables Allow Hackers to Remotely Access Your Devices
Hardware breaches may not get as much attention as recent security breaches , but they can be just as devastating. You can probably imagine an attacker secretly using a bogus USB dongle to get into your computer, but as described in a recent Vice report , even harmless technologies like Apple’s Lightning cables can be modified to exploit vulnerabilities and take control of yours. devices.
Fake Lightning cables, named “O.MG cables” after their creator, a security researcher known as MG, were circulated at the recent Defcon hacker convention. Other than that, O.MG cables are normal looking Lightning cables with extra hardware that gives hackers remote access to your PC and iOS devices when they’re plugged in.
O.MG cables are indistinguishable from real ones, and they even come with the legendary adhesive rings you’ll find on new Apple cables. The modified cables also work fine, allowing you to charge your devices via USB or transfer files from iOS devices.
Neither your computer nor your connected devices will ever notice that something is wrong. Aside from slicing through the cable looking for additional hardware, the only way to tell if you are using an O.MG cable is when you realize after the fact that your device has been jailbroken. And even if you happen to catch an attacker remotely launching a terminal window on your PC, the O.MG cables turn on a switch that turns off the implanted hardware, thereby destroying any trace of the source of the attack.
O.MG cable protection (and friends)
The good news is that these fake cables are not widespread, and even if they were, it would be difficult to “accidentally” buy one from the Apple Store, as it would take some effort on behalf of the hacker to implant the modified cable into the legitimate packaging. – at least for now. All of this, as well as these modified Lightning cables, have been painstakingly handcrafted (still).
Using the O.MG cable is very similar to using USB dongles or other external devices to gain remote access to a PC. This tactic is more common than some might think, but there are some sensible preventative measures you can take to keep your data and devices safe:
- Don’t pick up random technologies that you find nearby, even if they are in the correct packaging.
- Don’t accept unsolicited chargers, USB dongles or similar components as gifts from people you don’t trust, and definitely don’t plug them into your devices. Likewise, only take chargers from people you trust.
- Only buy cables from legitimate online sources, or better yet, physical locations where you can make sure the packaging hasn’t been tampered with.
- When it comes to the cables you already have, keep your devices, cables, USB dongles and other components nearby and store them securely in public places.