Apple fixes long-standing bug undermining iOS privacy feature

This problem has been around for a while and affected a privacy feature that was supposed to keep user information safe.

In 2020, Apple introduced a feature in iOS 14 that was meant to stop nearby Wi-Fi routers and access points from collecting your device's unique MAC address. These addresses can be used by network administrators to see which devices are connected to their networks. But they can also be misused to track your device across different networks.

The problem was that this feature didn't work as intended since the beginning. Security researchers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry found a mistake that allowed your real MAC address to leak out when your iPhone connected to a network. This real address was shared with all the other devices on the same network.

Even if you tried to protect yourself by turning on Lockdown Mode, it didn't help. Mysk reported this issue to Apple in July, but it took a while for Apple to understand and fix it. The fix was released with iOS 17.1 and iOS 16.7.2 for older devices, but if you're on iOS 14 or 15, you're still at risk.