EFF Says That iOS 11 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Toggles are a Security Risk

Maura · Oct 6, 2017

MacRumors reports today that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has published an article that is critical of the redesign of Apple’s Control Centre in iOS 11, stating that the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles are misleading and compromise the security of the user.

According to the EFF, the problem is the way in which the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles in Control Centre in iOS 11 do not deactivate the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, but rather, they just disconnect the device from Wi-Fi networks or Bluetooth accessories. This means that at 5 a.m. local time, or whenever the device restarts, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are re-enabled. If you want to deactivate the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth altogether, you have to go into Settings and disable them there.

Here’s some of what the EFF had to say on the matter.

“When a phone is designed to behave in a way other than what the UI suggests, it results in both security and privacy problems. A user has no visual or textual clues to understand the device’s behaviour, which can result in a loss of trust in operating system designers to faithfully communicate what’s going on. Since users rely on the operating system as the bedrock for most security and privacy decisions, no matter what app or connected device they may be using, this trust is fundamental.”

The EFF said that this “loophole in connectivity” could leave users vulnerable to attacks, and links to a white paper that reveals zero day security holes in modern Bluetooth stacks.

As far as solutions go, the EFF says that Apple should at least ensure that the Control Center toggles off until the user decides to toggle them on again, not automatically.

Source: EFF Says iOS 11's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Toggles in Control Center Are Misleading and Compromise Security