Specialized Apple iOS Charger Can Hack Devices In One Minute, Researchers Claim

Security researchers have created a hacked iOS charger that can add software to an iOS device via a standard charging mount.

The product was created by a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The new device will show off a proof-of-concept during the Black Hat security conference in late July 2013.

Researchers claim the charger can install malware onto any iPhone without a user’s consent.

Created by Billy Lau, Yeongjin Jang, and Chengyu Song, the group claims the compromised device can be hacked in just one minute after being plugged in.

The group claims that the software that is installed via the hacked charger can hide on Apple iPhone and Apple iPad devices much in the same way Apple hides some of its own built-in software solutions.

The group has created a charger using a BeagleBoard, a low-power and open source single-board computer that costs $45 and is manufactured by the team at Texas Instruments.

While the current hardware is much larger than a typical Apple charger, the team suggests that a more efficient option could arrive if the right funding is received. Ultimately, the device could look exactly like a standard white Apple iPhone or Apple iPad charger.

The group warns: “All users are affected, as our approach requires neither a jailbroken device nor user interaction.”

It doesn’t even matter what version of Apple iOS an iPhone or iPad the user is running, the hack doesn’t discriminate again any Apple platform.

The group hasn’t revealed who might be interested in using the Apple charger hack.

Here is a look at the BeagleBoard setup that is currently being used for proof of concept purposes:

Do you see any practical applications that the Apple charger hack might have that aren’t black hat hacking related?