There’s a URL circulating that can crash Messages on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and it can even cause the iOS springboard to unexpectedly crash and relaunch.
The URL looks like a GitHub link and it crashes Messages for the recipient. It sometimes crashes Messages for the sender, too, in our tests. It looks like the only way to fix the issue once someone sends you the link is to delete the conversation.
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? Effective Power is back, baby!
chaiOS bug:
Text the link below, it will freeze the recipient’s device, and possibly restart it. https://t.co/Ln93XN51Kq⚠️ Do not use it for bad stuff.
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thanks to @aaronp613 @garnerlogan65 @lepidusdev @brensalsa for testing!— Abraham Masri (@cheesecakeufo) January 16, 2018
Abraham Masri pointed out the flaw on Twitter. It harkens back to 2015 and the “Effective Power” bug that crashed iPhones.
So far it looks like chaiOS is good for pranks and little else.
I am not clear that the crash happens when the message is opened or when the link is clicked.
Either way, I bet that Apple will soon issue iOS and OSX updates.