Apple AirDrop flaw said to expose personal info of 1.5 billion users to anyone in Wi-Fi range

A team of researchers has discovered that a cyber attacker can learn the phone numbers and email addresses of AirDrop users even if they are complete strangers to the target.

AirDrop is a popular feature that allows Apple devices to securely and conveniently transfer files, photos, and more among them wirelessly. Users can share items with their own devices, friends, family, or even strangers. The convenience and ease of use, however, may be undermined by a newly discovered security flaw. Researchers at TU Darmstadt (Technical University Darmstadt, Germany) have discovered there's a flaw in Airdrop, and it might reveal all the private data of the user who is using it. AirDrop includes three modes; Receiving Off, Contacts Only, Everyone. The default setting is Contacts Only, which means only people within your address book can AirDrop photos, files, and more to your device. According to the security researchers, "Apple AirDrops shares more than files," and the team has explained how it happens even when not using the feature. As simple as leaving it turned on for "Everyone" to send users any file, it can be vulnerable to the attack.