Thieves have left no stone unturned to make the most of every new technology invented. No matter how hard it is to pass the security, they have managed to come up with their tactics every time. And this time, it’s Apple AirTag that has become their favourite tool.
AirTag, Apple’s tracking device which was launched earlier this year, is without any doubt very useful in finding lost items. But the thieves in Canada have found a way to misuse this device.
AirTags were specially designed to locate stolen or lost goods. It works in the combination of iPhone and quickly informs the AirTag owner about the location of the lost/stolen good if that is tagged with Apple AirTag. When activated Apple AirTags anonymously rings a nearby iPhone and sends the message to the AirTag owner only. But according to Ontario’s York Regional Police, thieves have been using the AirTags to steal cars.
According to the police, thieves just simply stick the AirTags on the targeted vehicles to track the residence of the owner. And once they find an opening, they steal the vehicle from the victim’s driveway. And according to the York police’s press statement, these cases have been increased rapidly and five more incidences have been recently reported.
However, Apple has the security measures inbuilt in the AirTags to prevent the misuse of the technology invented. Just when a foreign AirTag is placed on an object, it sends a notification to the owner of that object as a measure to prevent spying.
Even though it’s difficult to figure out if an AirTag is in the vicinity or not but Apple did mention what to do when a user finds an unknown AirTag placed on his product. All you have to do is, tap the AirTag with an NFC-capable device and instructions will guide you on how to disable the unknown AirTags.
Apple also mentioned that iOS devices can easily detect the Tags that don’t belong to their owner and are seen to be traveling from place to place, giving a signal to the company about the possible misuse of AirTags.
“And even if users don’t have an iOS device, AirTags separated from its owner for an extended period will play a sound when moved to draw attention to it,” Apple explained.
The company told, that it has rolled out updates for its new sensor that will now beep “a random time between 8 and 24 hours when separated from their owners,” ensuring more security.
The York police also share the piece of advice on how can stay safe and prevent this situation.
For instance-
- As most vehicles were stolen from driveway, park your cars in locked garage
- Use a steering wheel lock to deter thieves from stealing your car
- Install a lock on the data port that will then block access to the computer port
- Buy security cameras for surveillance around your property
- Inspect upur vehicle regularly
Other than this, there’s also great news for Android users who are fascinated by Apple AirTag. The Cupertino-giant is planning to release an Android app for AirTag to help Android users keep track of or find their belongings.
Apple said, “The recent introduction of AirTag included industry-first proactive features that discourage unwanted tracking, Following up on our commitment to continue to improve AirTag’s privacy and security, starting today we will be updating the time period after which an AirTag that is separated from its owner will play a sound when moved.”
All said and done, the increasing incidents related to the misuse of Apple AirTag are quite concerning for the company as it impacts the brand value and the trust users have in their products. On one side when technology is bringing more convenience and comfort to people’s lives, it’s also becoming an effective tool for all types of miscreants to take advantage of and keep the technology inventors at their toes. The increasing number of cybercrimes is a testimony to the fact!
