iPhone hacking using accessibility shortcuts/settings?

[I7guy]

Hi there, it’s July 2023 and I’m experiencing everything you guys mentioned! Exactly like y’all said! It’s driving me insane also. I keep getting connected to public Wi-Fi instead of my in home Wi-Fi. tons of reports being run when everything is turned off under analytics. I have logs showing my smart devices have been enrolled under “Business manager” In thinking Apple Business Essentials has the tools to do what’s happening. Pls let me know if you’re still experiencing this. My husband passed away Valentine’s Day so I’m not trying to lose our pictures or messages. I’ll attach some screen shots I have. I have hundreds though. Screen time was being used to control my devices from another device with a name similar to my iPad. I can no longer use my iPad or Apple Watch because they were being used to control my iPhone and pull logs. Short cuts set up to send my last picture taken some where?... reminders are set up on going to send an unfamiliar text now phone number notifications when I leave the house and when I get back. I’m actually scared for my life and that of my daughters because I don’t have my husband to protect us any more.
I attached the files I’ve found in my files app but don’t know if y’all will be able to see them. Well here’s a try

You might be better off going to an Apple Store and let them review the symptoms and the phone settings.

Turning off analytics does not stop the reports. You can sync with iTunes and set the option to not upload to apple. The sync will delete the logs.

If you are not familiar with some settings and your phone was setup in a specific way by your husband it could impact your phone operation today. That’s why a apple genius would be able to help you faster and more thoroughly than an online forum.

 

[ovbacon]

I find it curious that everyone that has "reported" this odd behavior in this thread has only 1 post on the forums and then they drop off the face of the planet.... wonder what that could mean???? 🤔

 

[I7guy]

I find it curious that everyone that has "reported" this odd behavior in this thread has only 1 post on the forums and then they drop off the face of the planet.... wonder what that could mean???? 🤔

There would be some verification if this was anything other than a figment of someone’s imagination by a few posters each with one post count.

 

[cmariewilson]

Hi everyone. I am new here because I have a specific question related to a confounding situation with my personal Apple devices over the past three months. I have been dealing with very strange behavior and potential remote access on several of my brand new & updated phones, all of which have different AppleIDs and phone numbers.

In my attempts to figure out what has been going on, a forensics guy I hired has noticed a common thread of the accessibility settings changing on their own. It is happening in all of the impacted phones, and we have noticed that there are 20 or so that always reverting to certain shortcuts, even when we try to repeatedly delete or change them. So far over many support calls Apple has been unable to explain why it's happening, but they have admitted at to it being at the very least a "bug" in the accessibility settings for the phones. I know a weakness like this was exploited in Android phones in the past, but I can't find any information about a similar thing in iPhones.

Also, among other troublesome behaviors, I have noticed that the phones will sometimes show a link under "Analytics and Improvements" that an Apple support technician has enrolled my device in a diagnostics session, but when I call Apple to ask what it is about, their own records do not show such a link has been sent by them to my phones.

I have reached out to Apple's security team, but thought I would also reach out here to see if anyone has heard of such things? Also, does anyone have any suggestions for me to figure out what might be going on? I have been taking screenshots of the behavior but so far having a hard time getting traction within Apple -- other than them being stumped and admitting to a software bug.

Thank you! Any help would be much appreciated!

The same thing is happening to me and it is compromising my I phone 8 and 13 pro max .yes it seems to infect every phone ,in my case this has been going on for 10 months now ,it's some type of spy app I believe it's a cyberstalker but it is almost undetectable and so hard to understand and explain ,Apple I'm sure Is well aware I too have called many many times ,but you are not crazy it is real and I am going to laugh at all these people who won't listen to us one day soon ,It is affecting my husband's androids ,mine started at a hotel with sketchy wifi I believe but what I have done is this ,
The beautiful thing about iOS is you can disable most things,in my experience disable Siri and remove her access in apps ,go to braille key board voice over and that entire menu and at first iglance things look off buy they aren't you need to go over all with a fine tooth comb I'll include pics of settings that are strange and enabled after a total reset I get tired of ignorant people invalidating what you and I are saying they are not cyber security professionals ,I UNDERSTAND AND YES IT IS REAL AND HAPPENING ,make sure to go to safari and scroll down and it's going to have experimental WebKit features all on turn them off ,and I know your health and fitness data can has some kind of remote access through like an apple watch idk but home to can be the problem ,I also remove all apps I do not use it seems manageable after this

Hi everyone. I am new here because I have a specific question related to a confounding situation with my personal Apple devices over the past three months. I have been dealing with very strange behavior and potential remote access on several of my brand new & updated phones, all of which have different AppleIDs and phone numbers.

In my attempts to figure out what has been going on, a forensics guy I hired has noticed a common thread of the accessibility settings changing on their own. It is happening in all of the impacted phones, and we have noticed that there are 20 or so that always reverting to certain shortcuts, even when we try to repeatedly delete or change them. So far over many support calls Apple has been unable to explain why it's happening, but they have admitted at to it being at the very least a "bug" in the accessibility settings for the phones. I know a weakness like this was exploited in Android phones in the past, but I can't find any information about a similar thing in iPhones.

Also, among other troublesome behaviors, I have noticed that the phones will sometimes show a link under "Analytics and Improvements" that an Apple support technician has enrolled my device in a diagnostics session, but when I call Apple to ask what it is about, their own records do not show such a link has been sent by them to my phones.

I have reached out to Apple's security team, but thought I would also reach out here to see if anyone has heard of such things? Also, does anyone have any suggestions for me to figure out what might be going on? I have been taking screenshots of the behavior but so far having a hard time getting traction within Apple -- other than them being stumped and admitting to a software bug.

Thank you! Any help would be much appreciated!

It's happening to me too it's some kind of persistent really bad spy stalkerware

I’m having similar issues, for a while now. I had a SE second generation I traded that in for an iPhone 13. Running iOS 16.1 I think. Whatever current version is. Both phones and my iPad excuse me I have an iPad Pro 2016. Also running current version. My health is disabled and iCloud it says but there’s an alternate account in my health.. it’s named what, it’s not mine. And I can’t access it. Health is now disappeared from both my iPhone and my iPad so there’s not even a place in settings to access it. The only way I can find it is if I go into iCloud storage and it’s in there. My phone and iPad both get hot randomly. My settings change themselves. By that I mean I can go into screen time, content restrictions and switch a bunch of them to don’t allow, click out wait a minute go back in and they’ll all be back to normal or back to default.
On my Cox Wifi panoramic, it shows up each device has two separate listings same hardware ID but different MAC address, one says connected to the panoramic Wi-Fi the other one says connection unknown. Pictures appear that I have taken months ago or a month ago or so as my most recent picture. I saw a white cursor move briefly on my iPad like somebody was sitting at a desk top. My location is never where I’m at, I am always in Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, everywhere but Arizona. No VPN. Or I guess it doesn’t matter if they have a VPN on or off. My analytics, full of jet Sam events, micro stacks, DAS delegate. AWDD some thing. You name it it’s in there. If I go into my screen time or sorry, privacy and go down to App report.. my various Apple apps are constantly accessing my Contacts my Photos my health my calendars. I can’t delete my calendars there’s a ton of information in there a ton of storage being used I don’t have any events but I’ve got a crap ton it says in storage. It will not let me delete it even though I’ve already deleted the whole app and it’s still on the screen. Also, I realized that my phone was sending texts from August beginning of August till I found it late September early October think. Just random conversations different people.. different subjects, different days. That the texts would be sent from a number that showed up as unavailable. It was my primary number and underneath that it said unavailable and that was what those texts were coming from. I purchased imazing and I copied my messages into Excel form. It ran one excel form for all my regular text messages that came from my primary number and another set for all of the ones that came from the unavailable number. I talked to Apple I did do a full reset set it up as a new phone. It worked for like a day. And then everything came right back. I’ve tried so many different security things I’ve tried turning everything off I’ve tried lockdown I’ve tried everything.
My apps on my phone and iPad keeps signing me out. Apple was supposed to call me back they never did I was kind of over it. I just happened to stumble onto this. Can anyone help did anyone ever figure out an answer to all this? It’s driving me insane. I spend so much time during the day checking my settings and seeing what’s going on. It’s driving me nuts plus, I don’t like feeling like somebody is watching me. And somebody definitely is. Something is going on. HELP!!!

I have exactly the same problem disable Siri and her access in apps go to accessibility and disable voice over and every command in safai go to advanced and see if you have experimental WebKit ?if so disable it

 

[Fat_Guy]

Well I’m not a one post newbie…



First of all, I wonder why come here? Macrumors, come on, you know where to go where the hackers hack the hacked. Maybe they said “user error” and moved on.


I use accessibility shortcuts and never had any issues. I’m more of a target than you but I don’t use Siri or any of that. I don’t click on text messages from places I don’t know. I use privacy phones in certain places where I’m sure I will never meet you.


Maybe you should be using a real hacker phone when you go wherever you go. iPhones are commercial phones for average users and coming to Macrumors is about as pointless as can be - no disrespect to the other members here…


This is why White Hats make it hard for the kids to use their tools. Download BlackArch to a thumb drive and you lose system files (hint: save it to a Bluray), Install it wrong and you lose the drive.



What I am saying is that this is most likely user error with those that you associate with. Apple can’t help you out there, especially not me…


Anyway, as a new member: Welcome to Macrumors!

 

[cmariewilson]

Wow white hat where have you been all my life ? Wow thank you for the cryptic mysterious insight I've got a few more bread crumbs now , this has been going on for 10 months across all devices and I have no privacy , no help , have been humiliated made fun of called crazy ,laughed at discounted
Google is a ****ing joke and I use to believe in that 2fa ******** I have lost my Bitcoin account of ten years photos but that's not the worst of it it will not stop some way it keeps creeping back in. And have changed ,accounts, devices ,actual states name

Well I’m not a one post newbie…



First of all, I wonder why come here? Macrumors, come on, you know where to go where the hackers hack the hacked. Maybe they said “user error” and moved on.


I use accessibility shortcuts and never had any issues. I’m more of a target than you but I don’t use Siri or any of that. I don’t click on text messages from places I don’t know. I use privacy phones in certain places where I’m sure I will never meet you.


Maybe you should be using a real hacker phone when you go wherever you go. iPhones are commercial phones for average users and coming to Macrumors is about as pointless as can be - no disrespect to the other members here…


This is why White Hats make it hard for the kids to use their tools. Download BlackArch to a thumb drive and you lose system files (hint: save it to a Bluray), Install it wrong and you lose the drive.



What I am saying is that this is most likely user error with those that you associate with. Apple can’t help you out there, especially not me…


Anyway, as a new member: Welcome to Macrumors!

Somebody ignored you fat boy I'm tired of this I need help it's getting real old

 

[Fat_Guy]

Wow white hat where have you been all my life ? Wow thank you for the cryptic mysterious insight I've got a few more bread crumbs now , this has been going on for 10 months across all devices and I have no privacy , no help , have been humiliated made fun of called crazy ,laughed at discounted
Google is a ****ing joke and I use to believe in that 2fa ******** I have lost my Bitcoin account of ten years photos but that's not the worst of it it will not stop some way it keeps creeping back in. And have changed ,accounts, devices ,actual states name

Somebody ignored you fat boy I'm tired of this I need help it's getting real old

Ok I’ll give you my 2 cents worth for what it’s worth. But give me a couple of hours as I’m in rush hour traffic.

 

[Fat_Guy]

This just general advice.


1. If you have major recurring problems with your phone then give up on it. Don’t use it anymore - but do take it to a data recovery company - an established brick a mortar business with a couple of employees there.


I knew one such company years ago but never used them. Trust me when I tell you this: They have seen and heard it all many, many times before! The stories they could tell! So go to them under the pretext of getting back your photos - but tell them the full story on the phone. If you see them in person you may gleen a lot about what is going on for free. They may get your photos back. The rest is gravy.



I wouldn’t trust any online guys as there are too many folk, too many hackers that are not Ronin, but still tied to a state but not making the money they used to. So they do what they have to to feed their family given the limitations they have to deal with. Not a good situation.




2. User errors. I would call continuing to use a phone that continues to give you problems - even after a wipe - a user error. I don’t care what the manufacturer says, if the phone has bad Karma I don’t use it again - and then send it off to the data recovery dudes.


So you get the new phone and now you are probably going to do the same thing you did to the old phone and compromise it again. So this time slowly add apps that are totally safe. If you used Safari then switch to FireFox or Opera. Stop using Mail and use Outlook or Canary. You get it, switch things up and start trusting your phone again.


BTW: If you have to go places that are questionable - at least use a clean phone that you don’t have to worry about. I use a Pinephone, but I will be adding a mint Note 3 with a new battery to the mix. They say you can get Android 12 on it these days!


Whatever, the big takeaway from me is getting the phone to a talented data recovery specialist. Use a new phone and now use it right! Then use another phone you don’t care about for your “other activities”.


I’ve been out off this stuff for years. That is what happens as you get older, now I’m part of the establishment…

 

[cmariewilson]

This just general advice.


1. If you have major recurring problems with your phone then give up on it. Don’t use it anymore - but do take it to a data recovery company - an established brick a mortar business with a couple of employees there.


I knew one such company years ago but never used them. Trust me when I tell you this: They have seen and heard it all many, many times before! The stories they could tell! So go to them under the pretext of getting back your photos - but tell them the full story on the phone. If you see them in person you may gleen a lot about what is going on for free. They may get your photos back. The rest is gravy.



I wouldn’t trust any online guys as there are too many folk, too many hackers that are not Ronin, but still tied to a state but not making the money they used to. So they do what they have to to feed their family given the limitations they have to deal with. Not a good situation.




2. User errors. I would call continuing to use a phone that continues to give you problems - even after a wipe - a user error. I don’t care what the manufacturer says, if the phone has bad Karma I don’t use it again - and then send it off to the data recovery dudes.


So you get the new phone and now you are probably going to do the same thing you did to the old phone and compromise it again. So this time slowly add apps that are totally safe. If you used Safari then switch to FireFox or Opera. Stop using Mail and use Outlook or Canary. You get it, switch things up and start trusting your phone again.


BTW: If you have to go places that are questionable - at least use a clean phone that you don’t have to worry about. I use a Pinephone, but I will be adding a mint Note 3 with a new battery to the mix. They say you can get Android 12 on it these days!


Whatever, the big takeaway from me is getting the phone to a talented data recovery specialist. Use a new phone and now use it right! Then use another phone you don’t care about for your “other activities”.


I’ve been out off this stuff for years. That is what happens as you get older, now I’m part of the establishment…

Thank you I have never heard of another type of phone I will investigate,and I knew there had to be more options in life , see what I am experiencing is the following and I am no programmer and was just like 95 of the American population who is oblivious to the havoc and mental distress that a security breach can cause you now I can explain because at this point I think it's very important people are able to access these conversations for understanding

 

[cmariewilson]

Mine all started with an Android device , at a hotel with sketch wifi but I never connected to this ,or I met a new friend who told me did I want to "make my phone better?" And told me to push build number 9 times and I did it , and I'm pretty sure he did this ,but it's such an insane story and I have very little understanding , the hotel wifi kept being connected on Androids and using my phone to share a 2.4 signal it seems ??? Idk if this makes sense

 

[cmariewilson]

There was apple web kit ( like gecko ) Mozilla and ,2 other devices connected , I had 2 ip locations so I bought android after android and the malware the first thing I noted was a blue clock widget and a calendar widget that I did not download , well this is a total remote access trojan I had screen overlays , all apps had all access to my location ,microphone ,physical activity ,calendar ,contacts, notifications ,sms phone calls, I had over 400 system apppa that were uninstallable with permissions I could not turn off ,

 

[cmariewilson]

I noticed after factory reset that things were strange with android 12 at the time , but the phoness would never reset ,well when your Google account of 10 years is bypassed and you have 2fa on and trust Google you are setting your self up for devastation,and your entire life as you know it being compromised and there is absolutely no one there to help it's been my experience that there are no brick and mortar business that I have encountered in Louisiana or Texas that know what they are talking about ,well moving forward since this is Mac rumors we can talk about the behaviors of this Black plague of whatever the heck this is ....

 

[cmariewilson]

First and foremost props to apple because at my darkest hour I got a little old I phone 8 I was at that point having to make 3 Gmail's a day I was on all http internet ???? Like all bad internet that I lwas tricked into giving out my social security number even ,I wrote to ic3 and tried to get help like this was toying with my sanity at this point ,a phone is one of our most private possessions that know our every thought, many times closer then your spouse we love our phones they make our lives so much easier and give us infinite knowledge and intelligence and when you have idk how many hackers blokk said 1400 in a 24 hour period ,....I don't even understand how or what happened there but I was being toyed with

 

[Fat_Guy]

First and foremost props to apple because at my darkest hour I got a little old I phone 8 I was at that point having to make 3 Gmail's a day I was on all http internet ???? Like all bad internet that I lwas tricked into giving out my social security number even ,I wrote to ic3 and tried to get help like this was toying with my sanity at this point ,a phone is one of our most private possessions that know our every thought, many times closer then your spouse we love our phones they make our lives so much easier and give us infinite knowledge and intelligence and when you have idk how many hackers blokk said 1400 in a 24 hour period ,....I don't even understand how or what happened there but I was being toyed with

Ok, I thought you were another type of person. Actually the folk here can help you out, but that phone is probably messed up really badly. If you can afford it then get as modern an iPhone you can get and start over. Don’t use public wifi and don’t send personal information over an http protocol as other people can see the data you are sending. https is what you want and the “S” stands for secure. I run like 50 websites and you can run them all securely for free now - there is no need for http only websites.


Oh, don’t let others mess with your phone. Enjoy Macrumors, I thought you were a big hairy guy who hacked on the side. I’m sure other folk can help you out going forward.



Take care…

 

[cmariewilson]

Lol a big hairy guy !

 

[Fedup87]

I also have all these same issues can some please help all my friends and family think I’ve lost the plot and keep asking me if I’m on drugs . I thought it’s my ex doing it but she can not be this smart . Please help it’s been happening for years I’ve been through over 20 phones 100 email addrssses 40 SIM cards and countless other accounts I’ve lost everything I’ve even tried getting other peole to make accounts for me and activate SIM cards and befor I can log in there compromised and I can’t log in my phone does so much weird stuff I can’t keep up

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I also have all these same issues can some please help all my friends and family think I’ve lost the plot and keep asking me if I’m on drugs . I thought it’s my ex doing it but she can not be this smart . Please help it’s been happening for years I’ve been through over 20 phones 100 email addrssses 40 SIM cards and countless other accounts I’ve lost everything I’ve even tried getting other peole to make accounts for me and activate SIM cards and befor I can log in there compromised and I can’t log in my phone does so much weird stuff I can’t keep up

You're wasting your time. Nobody on this forum can help you. If you haven't read the entire thread, there hasn't been one post that gives a resolution to the problem your having