This magic SSID name will break your iPhone WIFI, here's how to fix it

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iphone wifi

A security researcher has discovered a special string of characters which, if used for your WIFI network name, will break the WIFI on your iPhone.

As Schou notes, if you name your WIFI network  “%p%s%s%s%s%n” and connect to it with an iPhone, iPad or even AirDrop, your WIFI will be disabled and even a reboot will not fix it.

The name reportedly causes memory corruption in the WIFI stack, and the issue does not affect Android devices, meaning until Apple fixes it there is a potential for people to use it to prank iPhone users.

If you find yourself suddenly unable to connect to WIFI, here is the potential fix:

  • Navigate to Settings > General > Reset 
  • Select Reset Network Settings.

This should clear away all the same networks on your device, allowing you to start over again.

Apple will presumably release a fix for the issue in the next iOS 14 update or soon after.

via Pocketnow.

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