![\"iPhone](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764508453_16_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Your phone is at risk \u2014 make this change now.<\/p>\n
SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Updated on Nov. 30 with confirmation of an ongoing iPhone vulnerability.<\/p>\n
Apple does not make mistakes often \u2014 but it has done so now. If you have an iPhone 17, 16 or 15, then there\u2019s a hidden setting you must change. It has been set to a dangerous default, and leaves your phone open to attack. It takes seconds to fix \u2014 do that now.<\/p>\n
The warning stems from the iOS 26 update in September. This introduced much needed protection against the risk of data being secretly extracted from an iPhone through a malicious charging cable or accessory. But it has been set up badly.<\/p>\n
ForbesGoogle\u2019s Play Store Update\u2014Delete All These Spyware Apps NowBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n After you first unlock your iPhone after it\u2019s reset or switched on, it can be connected to a USB accessory or computer. Before it\u2019s unlocked that first time it won\u2019t connect. That\u2019s why Apple added a controversial<\/a> 72 hour time-out, returning untouched phones to their before first unlock (BFU<\/a>) state to prevent forensic software extractions.<\/p>\n With iOS 26, Apple went further. Adding additional defenses<\/a> for iPhones with USB-C ports, enabling users to prevent a rogue cable connection stealing data or worse. This affects iPhone 15s and newer, after the company moved away from Lightning ports. <\/p>\n Wired accessory protection<\/p>\n iOS 26 \/ @UKZak<\/p>\n Apple offers options to \u201calways ask\u201d whether you want a connection to be to ask for \u201cnew accessories.\u201d That should be the default, \u201cask for new accessories.\u201d But it\u2019s not. Apple has set the default to \u201cautomatically allow when unlocked.\u201d That means that once a phone is unlocked it will connect to any USB-C accessory that\u2019s plugged in.<\/p>\n Changing the setting is easy. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Wired Accessories, and then select either \u201cAlways Ask\u201d or \u201cAsk for New Accessories.\u201d<\/p>\n A critical reminder as to why this is critical has just been posted on X. \u201cWhatsApp end-to-end encryption Vs forensic extraction\u201d points out the exposure of data on your phone once the phone is unlocked, the data decrypted, and then the contect exfiltrated. <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption to protect messages, calls, and shared media during transmission, this protection only applies while the data is moving between devices. Once the content reaches the device, it is stored unencrypted within WhatsApp\u2019s local databases and media folders.\u201d <\/p>\n As I\u2019ve warned many times now, end-to-end encryption only protects against man-in-the middle attacks intercepting content on a network (as in Salt Typhoon<\/a>) or server-side attacks, which is why Telegram is less secure<\/a> than WhatsApp, iMessage or Signal. It does not protect against an endpoint (your phone) being compromised.<\/p>\n One word of caution. As I\u2019ve reported before<\/a>, an Apple bug still prevents some users from updating the Wired Accessories settings on their iPhones. This has been an issue ever since the update was released in September, and while Apple Support has told users this will be addressed in a forthcoming iOS update, there\u2019s no fix as yet.<\/p>\n This is not the same as for older iPhones with Lightning connectors. Those devices will not be offered the new protections, and will instead just have the Always Allow and Allow When Unlocked options, neither of which is recommended. <\/p>\n Broken settings (Nov. 30)<\/p>\n Apple<\/p>\n The bug disables all the options and prevents any changes being made. Unfortunately, it means your device will be stuck on either Automatically Allow When Unlocked or \u2014 even worse \u2014 Always Allow. I had assumed this would have been fixed by now, but at the time of writing on Nov, 30, that\u2019s still not the case. The above screenshot was sent to me by a Forbes reader to highlight the ongoing issue.<\/p>\n The affected iPhone is not running any organizational profiles or MDM. This is a known feature of the bug, as was being reported by users in September. Some users suggest enabling Apple\u2019s Lockdown Mode will unlock the settings, albeit it remains unclear whether that\u2019s a replicable solution or not. <\/p>\n ForbesFeds Warn iPhone And Android Users\u2014Stop Using Your VPNBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n The only known resolution is to fully reset your device and restore if from a backup. While wired accessories is a dangerous setting, for most users it will not be worth this drastic remedy. If you\u2019re affected, just be careful with wired accessories and check after each iOS update. Apple\u2019s new protection is excellent \u2014 its default setting is not<\/a>. <\/p>\n Make the change today (if you can).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your phone is at risk \u2014 make this change now. 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