Hackers can disable iphones and iPads by just walking near you

God have mercy!  Hackers can disable iPhones and iPads just by walking near them, security researchers at the RSA security conference in San Francisco warned today.

Researchers from security firm Skycure demonstrated an attack called, ‘No iOS Zone’, which crashes any device within Wi-Fi range of the attacker – and can leave them unable to turn back on.

Users don’t even have to choose to connect to the hotspot to be vulnerable,Gizmodo reports.

Instead, the attack relies on how iPhones will automatically connect to Wi-Fi hotspots created by your phone network – assuming they are safe.

The researchers created a fake, ‘tainted’ hotspot, which phones automatically connect to, then blast nearby phones with fake security certificates, making them constantly crash.

Hackers could create such hotspots using mobile computing equipment, and put them anywhere.

To safeguard your iPhone and iPad before Apple issues a patch for the vulnerability, you will need to put off your handset Wi-Fi when you are out.

Culled from metro