An iPhone function is currently causing a stir and security concerns again. According to the police, it is possible to steal your data from your cell phone in passing. Is that correct?
Just touching another iPhone is supposedly enough to steal data. (Source: HayDmitriy / depositphotos.com)
- There are warnings on the Internet about misusing an iPhone function.
- Your data could be stolen in passing.
- However, this is pure scaremongering.
There are currently warnings about an iPhone function on social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. This could allegedly be misused to easily steal your data. It would be enough if your iPhone was touched by a third-party Apple device. In the USA, even the police warn against this trick. There is hardly any talk of a cyber attack here.
The function in question is the “Keep devices together” feature, which has been available to all iPhone users since the update to iOS 17. Although it is actually used to simply distribute your data, the process is completely harmless. We’ll show you why.
Stealing data with the NameDrop function?
With the “Keep devices together” feature or NameDrop, data can be exchanged via AirDrop or NFC. All you have to do is hold two iPhones directly next to each other. However, there is no reason to worry that someone could steal your data in this way while passing by or in the crowd on the train. As is well known, Apple attaches great importance to security and this is also the case with this function.
In order for wireless data transfer to be successful, the two iPhones must be held so close to each other at the top that they are almost touching. If the devices move away from each other even briefly, the process will be aborted. In addition, the screen must first be unlocked to carry out the data transfer.
Even if, in the extremely unlikely event, a stranger gets this far, there is still one final obstacle to overcome. The process still needs to be confirmed. You can choose between “Share” and “Receive only”.
If someone wants to steal your data using the “hold devices together” function and you tap “Receive only”, no files will be transferred, even if you don’t select any of the options, nothing can happen to you. So you are completely safe.
Unnecessary scaremongering
Despite the sufficient security, there are persistent claims on the Internet that criminals could exploit the function to steal your data in an instant. This assumption is particularly widespread in the English-speaking media.
The US police even warned on Facebook, shocking many worried parents. As Futurezone reports, the warning is based on the assessment of a questionable IT security expert.
He told the US broadcaster CBS that stalkers or sexual predators in particular could abuse the iPhone function. This statement was blindly adopted by the authorities and is now spreading online without any solid basis.
Disable holding devices together
If you are not comfortable with the function despite the high security standards, you can easily deactivate it. To do this, simply go to the settings. Under “General” you will then find “AirDrop”. There you deactivate the “Hold devices together” function.
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