According to a study, hackers may target Microsoft’s new Phone Link function for Windows 11, which lets iPhone users read notifications on their Windows laptops.
Cyberstalkers who gain physical access to someone’s iPhone can use Phone Link to connect the device to their own Windows computer and secretly spy on their iMessages and phone calls.
The long-standing app Phone Link lets Android users sync their devices with desktop computers over the web.
According to Indo-Asian News Service, app developer Certo Software expressed fear that cyberstalkers could exploit security holes in the new Windows 11 functionality to target iPhone users.
According to Indo-Asian News Service, the app may be installed on someone else’s iPhone with little to no resistance, making them vulnerable to cyber stalkers.
And what else may cyberstalkers do?
If a cyberstalker manages to pair an iPhone using the Phone Link app, they may have access to all alerts, call the phone, read all messages sent and received, check all history, and more. The study stressed that cyberstalkers would need to set up a Phone Link on an iPhone to examine iMessage history. Before the setup is complete, they will not have access to any communications sent or received.
This form of cyberstalking is hazardous since it can be used by an abusive boyfriend, parent, or acquaintance to monitor the victim’s whereabouts.
The research also recommended that consumers keep tabs on the Bluetooth devices their iPhones automatically couple with, and if they don’t recognize one, manually unpair it via the iPhone’s Settings.
To stop using a paired device, go to the phone’s “Settings,” “Bluetooth,” then “Forget This Device.”
Customers, though, should heed that guidance. The team recommends that Apple implement a visual cue to show users when messages or alerts have been sent to their Bluetooth devices. This is analogous to how the iPhone’s microphone and camera indicators turn from green to orange when used.
