Apple AirTag Hacked, Says Security Researcher Who Found Loopholes to Modify Firmware

Apple AirTag, the Bluetooth tracker that was unveiled last month to let people find their lost items, is claimed to have some security loopholes that could allow hackers to modify its firmware. A security researcher has demonstrated the loopholes by hacking the AirTag using reverse engineering. The researcher claimed on Twitter that he was able to modify the default NFC link available through the tracker by reflashing its microcontroller. This appears to be the first successful “jailbreak” attempt on the AirTag, which Apple claims to be designed with privacy and security at its core.

German security researcher Thomas Roth who goes by the name “stacksmashing” on social media tweeted on Sunday that he was able to successfully hack the Apple AirTag by “breaking into” its microcontroller. He claimed that after gaining access to the microcontroller, he reprogrammed the AirTag and modified its firmware.

The changes made by the security researcher allowed him to tweak the functionality of the AirTag and put a custom NFC link when it is in the Lost Mode, as shown in a video posted on Twitter.