Apple AirPlay is a useful way to stream content wirelessly but this convenience is now making it an easy target for hackers according to new findings. The feature is connected to billions of iPhones and Macs, allowing you to play music or show photos.

The wireless nature of AirPlay has been hit with a major vulnerability called AirBorne. The discovery has been made by Oligo which is a cybersecurity firm. 

AirPlay Hacking Threat: What The Firm Says 

The report claims the AirPlay security issue is linked to the Wi-Fi network on which the devices are connected, making it easy for hackers to infiltrate into the network and able to spread malicious code to multiple devices. Smart home devices are the likely target for these issues and if billions of these devices don’t get the right security support, that makes them a likely strike point for these bad actors. 

The firm mentions that AirBorne is affecting the Apple AirPlay SDK which allows the feature to work with third-party devices. That means speakers, smart TVs and even set-top-boxes could be vulnerable to these attacks. 

Apple has been quoted saying to Oligo in the report that it has patched these issues over the last few months. However, the security firm is more worried about the situation of the third-party AirPlay devices that they feel will take years to patch, or maybe even never. 

It seems Apple has also helped fix some of the external issues to some extent but the overall situation clearly needs more attention and people are being advised to update their devices to the latest version and yes, avoid using unreliable Wi-Fi networks. 

There’s More 

The AirPlay issues are also going to become a problem for Apple’s CarPlay feature, as highlighted by the security firm, which means hackers could easily bypass into any computing system in car but only if they can connect via Bluetooth or USB which surely comes as a relief to many owning cars with CarPlay support these days.