A recently uncovered bug has raised concerns among Apple device users, as security researchers have found that typing a specific sequence of four characters can cause iPhones and iPads to crash. The bug, which was revealed by web security researcher Konstantin, poses a particular risk to Apple devices running on the latest versions of iOS.
Konstantin shared details of the bug in a social media post earlier this week, cautioning users about the potential impact on their devices. “Apparently, you can crash your [Apple mobile user interface] iPhone Springboard pretty easily,” he wrote, bringing attention to the vulnerability that affects the core user interface of iPhones.
The bug can be triggered when users swipe past all their Home Screen pages and enter the four specific characters—two double quotation marks followed by two colons (“”::)—in the search bar of the App Library. Once these characters are entered, the device’s Springboard crashes, forcing the iPhone to reload and return to the Lock Screen. The same result can occur if the characters are typed into the search bar of the Settings page.
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Konstantin issued a clear warning to those tempted to try it out: “Do this at your own risk,” he posted on the social network Mastodon, emphasizing the potential consequences of testing the bug on one’s own device.
Not a Security Threat
Despite the disruptive nature of the bug, experts have reassured users that it does not pose a security risk. Ryan Stortz, an iOS security researcher who analyzed the bug, confirmed that it is not a vulnerability that could be exploited for malicious purposes. “It’s not a security bug,” Stortz told TechCrunch, a sentiment echoed by fellow iOS security researcher Patrick Wardle.
While the bug primarily causes the device’s Springboard to crash and reload, some users have reported that their screens briefly flash black before returning to the Lock Screen. In certain cases, the bug has been triggered by entering only the first three characters of the sequence.
The issue appears to affect devices running the latest version of iOS 17 as well as those testing the beta version of iOS 18. Apple has not yet officially commented on the bug, but reports suggest that an upcoming iOS update, version 17.6.2, is likely to include a fix to address the problem.
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