Published Date: 2015-05-27
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. May 2018 [71284] 2. October 2013 [22444] 3. February 2015 [36306] 4. February 2016 [40507] 5. January 1970 [40510] 6. 2020 [98927] 7. July 2018 [68337] 8. November 2014 [31815] 9. May 2015 [36036] 10. May 2015 [36265] 11. May 2018 [73758] 12. May 2018 [71284] |
| System | 1. Apple's Messages app on iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4 failed due to the bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji [71284]. 2. iMessage app on Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs, were affected by the bug causing crashes when receiving specific text strings [36036, 36265]. 3. iOS 10 update caused inoperable devices for some users, leading to iPhones and iPads being stuck showing the Apple logo or in a bricked state [47721]. 4. iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs were affected by a bug that crashed the devices when receiving a message with the Taiwanese flag emoji [73758]. 5. iPhones, iPads, and Macs experienced crashes when receiving a specific Indian symbol in a message [68337]. 6. iPhones were bricked by users setting their dates back to 1970 due to a bug in iOS 9.3 beta 4 [40507, 40510]. 7. iOS devices, including iPhones, were affected by a bug that caused crashes when receiving a certain text message [36311]. 8. iPhones were paralyzed by a bug involving a specific series of Unicode characters in a text message [36240]. 9. iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs were affected by a bug that caused crashes when receiving a specific string of text and emojis [98927]. 10. iPhones crashed when receiving a specific string of text involving Arabic characters [36306]. |
| Responsible Organization | 1. YouTube user 'EverythingApplePro' created the text bug involving the black dot emoji that can overload iMessage on iPhones [71458]. 2. Security researcher Patrick Wardle discovered the bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a message with the Taiwanese flag emoji [73758]. 3. Reddit users identified the bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a specific string of characters in a message [36265]. 4. Apple's iOS software was responsible for the bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain Indian symbol in a message [68337]. 5. Apple's iMessage app was affected by the bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a specific series of unicode characters [36240]. 6. Apple's iOS software was impacted by the bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a message containing a black dot emoji [71284]. |
| Impacted Organization | 1. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV [71458] 2. WhatsApp users, specifically Android users [71458] 3. iOS devices, including iPhone and iPad [36306] 4. iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs [36036] 5. iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, Twitter, Snapchat [36299] 6. iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, Twitter [73758] |
| Software Causes | 1. A bug in Apple's Messages app caused iPhones and iPads to freeze when receiving a message containing a black dot emoji due to a string of thousands of invisible Unicode characters hidden next to the emoji [71458]. 2. The bug involved flooding the phone's CPU when trying to open the message, leading to the iMessage app crashing repeatedly [71458]. 3. The bug affected iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4, potentially impacting various devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV [71284]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. The bug involving the black dot emoji causing iPhones to freeze was a result of a string of text and the black dot emoji overloading iMessage when sent to an iPhone [71284]. 2. The Taiwanese flag emoji caused iPhones to crash due to a bug in Apple's iOS software, which was triggered when the emoji was sent to a device with the Apple ID location set to China [73758]. 3. A bug in Apple's iOS software caused iPhones to crash when a specific Indian symbol was displayed in a message [68337]. 4. A bug in Apple's iOS software caused iPhones to crash when a certain string of Arabic characters was displayed in a message [36306]. 5. Manually setting the date of an iPhone or iPad to January 1, 1970, caused the device to get permanently stuck while trying to boot back up, due to a bug within Apple's date and time settings [40510]. |
| Impacts | 1. The bug involving the black dot emoji in iMessage caused iPhones to freeze and overload the messaging app when the specific text string was sent, affecting devices running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4 [71284]. 2. The bug led to iPhones crashing instantly and causing the devices to reboot, especially when the message was received as a notification on the lock screen [36265]. 3. The bug also affected Twitter, causing iPhones to crash when the Taiwanese flag emoji was sent via direct messages or public mentions [73758]. 4. Snapchat was permanently affected by the bug, as receiving a text chat with the specific string caused iPhones to crash when attempting to read it [36299]. 5. The bug was exploited as a prank, with users sending the text string to crash friends' iPhones [36299]. 6. The bug was fixed by Apple through a software update, resolving the issue that caused iPhones to crash when receiving the Taiwanese flag emoji [73758]. |
| Preventions | 1. Proper input validation and handling of special characters in the messaging app's code could have prevented the bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a specific string of text [36265]. 2. Thorough testing and quality assurance procedures during the development process could have identified and fixed the bug before the software was released to users [36036]. 3. Implementing timely software updates and fixes, as demonstrated by Apple's response to similar incidents in the past, could have prevented the widespread impact of the bug on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs [36299, 71284]. 4. Enhanced security measures and monitoring to detect and address potential vulnerabilities in the software could have helped prevent the exploitation of the bug for malicious purposes [36299]. 5. Improved communication and coordination between Apple's software development teams to ensure that changes made to accommodate regional preferences, such as emoji censorship, do not inadvertently introduce software bugs [73758]. |
| Fixes | 1. Force close the iMessage app, then navigate to the home screen. From there, 3D Touch the iMessage app and select 'New Message'. Hit cancel on the new message screen, then delete the message with the bug [71284]. 2. If the phone doesn't have 3D Touch, force close iMessage, bring up Siri, ask it to send a reply to the sender of the bug message, continue sending replies via Siri until the bug is off the screen in the iMessage conversation, then manually remove the thread from the conversation list [71284]. | References | 1. YouTube user 'EverythingApplePro' [71458, 71284] 2. 9to5Mac [71458, 36311] 3. Mail Online [71458] 4. Reddit users [36265] 5. Security researcher Patrick Wardle [73758] 6. Mikko Hypponen, security researcher [36299] 7. South Florida cybersecurity firm Digital Security [73758] 8. Tom's Guide [71284] 9. MacRumors [71284] 10. CNET [71284, 36265] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization, multiple_organization | (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - The bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji that can overload iMessage on iPhones has been spotted again, causing the messaging app to freeze [71284]. - This bug is similar to a previous incident involving an Indian language symbol that crashed iOS apps when displayed [98927]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - The bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji that can overload iMessage on iPhones has been reported to affect iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4 [71284]. - The incident involving a bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when a single character in Telugu, an Indian language, was sent to the device or typed in a text editor has been fixed by Apple [68368]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design | (a) In the software failure incident involving the black dot emoji crashing iPhones, the bug was discovered in Apple's Messages app. The bug involved a string of text and the black dot emoji that could overload iMessage if sent to an iPhone. The bug was spotted by YouTuber EverythingApplePro and affected iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4. The incident was framed as a prank to freeze people's phones [71284]. (b) The software failure incident involving a bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when a specific Indian symbol was displayed affected devices running iOS 11.2.5. The bug caused apps to become unresponsive, including Apple's iMessage and third-party applications like WhatsApp, Gmail, and Facebook Messenger. The issue also affected Macs and Apple Watches. Apple acknowledged the bug and was working on a fix for the affected versions [68337]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system, outside_system | (a) within_system: - The software failure incidents involving the black dot emoji causing iPhones to freeze in the iMessage app [71284] and the text bomb that crashes iPhones [36265] are examples of failures originating from within the system. - These incidents are caused by specific strings of text or characters that overload the iMessage app or cause the system to crash, indicating internal vulnerabilities within the software. - Apple acknowledged the bugs and worked on fixes to address these issues, indicating that the failures were related to the software itself [71284]. - The bugs affected various Apple devices running iOS, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs, showing that the failures were internal to Apple's ecosystem [36265]. - Users could mitigate the impact of these bugs by taking specific actions within the software, such as force closing the iMessage app or using Siri to send replies to remove the problematic messages [71284]. (b) outside_system: - The bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji that caused iPhones to crash was influenced by external factors related to censorship in China [73758]. - Apple censored the Taiwanese flag emoji on devices in China, leading to the glitch that caused iPhones to crash when receiving messages with the emoji [73758]. - The bug was triggered by the emoji being considered an invalid input due to the censorship, highlighting how external factors can impact software behavior [73758]. - The glitch affected users based on their Apple ID location set to China, indicating that the issue was influenced by regional policies and restrictions [73758]. - The bug was eventually fixed with a software update, addressing the external factor of the emoji censorship that led to the iPhone crashes [73758]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions, human_actions | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - A bug discovered in Apple's Messages app can paralyze your iPhone or iPad with just a simple black dot emoji. Hidden next to the black dot emoji is a string of thousands of invisible Unicode characters. Every time you try to open the message, it floods your phone's CPU, causing the iMessage app to crash repeatedly. This bug was created by a YouTube user and affects iOS versions 10, 11.2, 11.3, and beta versions of 11.4 [71458]. - A bug in Apple’s iOS means that anyone can crash an iPhone by simply sending it a certain string of characters in a message. The bug is caused by a glitch in the way Apple’s iOS mobile operating system renders Arabic text. When the text message is displayed by a banner alert or notification on the lock screen, the system attempts to abbreviate the text with an ellipsis. If the ellipsis is placed in the middle of a set of non-Latin script characters, including Arabic, Marathi, and Chinese, it causes the system to crash and the phone to reboot [36265]. - Apple has fixed a bug that caused iPhones to crash any time they received a message with the Taiwanese flag emoji. The glitch first surfaced after Apple started to censor the emoji on handsets in China, which does not recognize the island's independence. Messages sent with the flag instead displayed as a 'missing' emoji. However, iOS would sometimes struggle to read the symbol, causing iPhones to shut down. The bug was discovered by a security researcher and was eventually resolved with a software update [73758]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - Apple users are reporting another bug in the updated iOS 7, this time having to do with the messaging app. Several users have noticed that the app is acting up and forcing some to resend messages. Apple confirmed the issue and mentioned that they will have a fix available in an upcoming software update. Users have offered solutions like turning off iMessages, resetting network settings, and rebooting the phone [22444]. - Some users attempting to update to Apple’s latest iOS 10 on their iPhones and iPads have been left with inoperable devices. The update might have sent the iPhone or iPad into a boot loop, stuck showing the Apple logo, or in a similar 'bricked' state. The fix requires connecting the device to a computer with iTunes and selecting update or restore to continue with the iOS 10 upgrade [47721]. - Apple’s text messaging bug that can crash iPhones with simple text also affects Twitter and permanently breaks Snapchat text chat. The bug causes Apple’s text handling system to choke on certain characters from Arabic, Marathi, and Chinese, crashing the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac. The bug was discovered by Reddit users and was used as a prank to freeze people's phones. Recovery instructions were issued by Apple for the Messages app [36299]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | software | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - There is no specific information in the provided articles about the software failure incident occurring due to contributing factors originating in hardware. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - Several articles discuss software failure incidents caused by specific strings of text or characters that overload the messaging apps on Apple devices, leading to crashes and freezing. - For example, a bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji can overload iMessage if sent to an iPhone, causing the messaging app to freeze [71284]. - Another incident involved a bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a message with the Taiwanese flag emoji, due to a glitch in the code handling the emoji [73825]. - Additionally, a bug discovered in Apple's iOS caused iPhones to crash when receiving a message with a certain Indian symbol, leading to the device freezing and requiring a hard reset [98927]. - These incidents highlight software failures originating from specific text strings or characters that trigger unexpected behavior in Apple devices. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The software failure incidents described in the articles are non-malicious in nature. These incidents involve bugs or glitches in Apple's software that cause iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs to crash or freeze when specific text strings or emojis are received or displayed. The bugs are not intentionally created to harm the devices but rather result from how the software handles certain characters or symbols. 1. The incidents involve bugs in Apple's iOS software that cause devices to crash when receiving specific text strings or emojis [Article 36036]. 2. A bug in Apple's iOS causes iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message [Article 36265]. 3. An iMessage bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji can overload iMessage if sent to an iPhone [Article 71284]. 4. A bug in iOS causes iPhones to crash when a specific Indian symbol is displayed [Article 68337]. 5. A bug in iOS devices causes apps to crash when a certain Indian symbol is displayed [Article 98927]. 6. A bug in Apple's iOS causes devices to crash when a single character in Telugu is sent to the device [Article 68368]. 7. A bug in Apple software caused iPhones to crash when an emoji of the Taiwanese flag was displayed [Article 73825]. 8. A bug in Apple's iOS software caused iPhones to crash when a message with the Taiwanese flag emoji was received [Article 73758]. These incidents highlight software flaws that lead to system crashes but are not intentionally created to cause harm. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | poor_decisions | (a) poor_decisions: The bug involving the black dot emoji that can freeze iPhones' messaging app was framed as a prank by YouTuber EverythingApplePro to freeze people's phones. The bug was discovered in iOS 11 to iOS 11.4, affecting iMessage. The bug overloaded iMessage when the specific string of text and the black dot emoji were sent to iPhones, causing the messaging app to crash. The intent behind sending such a message was to exploit the vulnerability in the software and cause disruption to the recipient's device, leading to a poor user experience and potentially damaging consequences [71284]. (b) accidental_decisions: The bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji that caused iPhones to crash was not intentional but rather a result of a glitch in Apple's software. The glitch occurred when the emoji was censored on handsets in China, causing the system to sometimes consider the Taiwan emoji as an invalid input, leading to iPhones shutting down. The bug was discovered by a security researcher, and Apple was informed about it to fix the issue. The accidental nature of the bug was evident in how it affected devices with their Apple ID location set to China, causing unintended crashes upon receiving the Taiwanese flag emoji [73758]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | development_incompetence | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - The bug discovered in Apple's Messages app that can paralyze iPhones or iPads with a black dot emoji was due to a string of text and the black dot emoji overloading iMessage if sent to the device [71284]. - The bug was spotted by YouTuber EverythingApplePro, who framed it as a prank to freeze people's phones [71284]. - The bug affects iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4 [71284]. - The bug was not tested on earlier versions of iOS [71284]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The bug discovered in Apple's Messages app that can paralyze iPhones or iPads with a black dot emoji was an accidental overload of iMessage caused by a specific string of text and the black dot emoji [71284]. - The bug was not intentionally created but was discovered as a prank to freeze people's phones [71284]. - The bug affected iPhones running iOS 11 to iOS 11.4 [71284]. - The accidental nature of the bug is evident in the way it was discovered and its impact on the messaging app [71284]. |
| Duration | temporary | The software failure incident related to the black dot emoji bug causing iPhones to freeze is temporary. The bug involves sending a specific string of text and the black dot emoji to overload iMessage, leading to the app crashing. Users can fix the issue by force-closing the iMessage app, deleting the message with the bug, and taking specific steps to clear the conversation ([71284]). Additionally, the bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji causing iPhones to crash was also temporary. The glitch was triggered by the emoji being considered an invalid input, leading to the device crashing. Apple fixed the bug with a software update after being informed by a security researcher ([73758]). |
| Behaviour | crash, value, byzantine, other | (a) crash: The bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji can overload iMessage if sent to an iPhone, causing the messaging app to freeze and potentially crash the device [71284]. (b) omission: The bug involving a specific string of Arabic characters caused iPhones to crash and reboot when the message was received, but the crash occurred only if the recipient was not viewing their message history at the time [36265]. (c) timing: The bug involving a specific series of unicode characters caused iMessage to crash on iPhones, but the crash occurred instantly when the message was received, not due to being too late or too early [36240]. (d) value: The bug involving a specific string of text caused iPhones to crash and reboot, but the crash was triggered by the way iOS tried to handle the full text string, causing the system to fail [36265]. (e) byzantine: The bug involving a string of text and the black dot emoji could overload iMessage if sent to an iPhone, potentially causing inconsistent responses and interactions within the messaging app [71284]. (f) other: The bug involving a specific string of text and the Taiwanese flag emoji caused iPhones to crash, but the crash was due to the system struggling to read the symbol as an invalid input, rather than an element missing from the phone's library [73758]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | harm, property, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence | (a) death: There were no reports of people losing their lives due to the software failure incidents reported in the articles. (b) harm: - The bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji caused iPhones to crash when the emoji was displayed, potentially causing harm if the device was needed for emergency communication [Article 73758]. - The bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters could potentially harm users if they relied on their iPhones for critical communication or information [Article 36265]. (c) basic: There were no reports of people's access to food or shelter being impacted due to the software failure incidents reported in the articles. (d) property: - The bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji could have impacted users' ability to use their iPhones, potentially affecting their access to important data or services [Article 73758]. - The bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters could have impacted users' material goods if they relied on their iPhones for work or personal use [Article 36265]. (e) delay: - Users affected by the bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji may have experienced delays in using their iPhones until the bug was fixed with a software update [Article 73758]. - Users experiencing crashes on their iPhones due to specific text strings may have faced delays in accessing their messages or using their devices until the issue was resolved [Article 36265]. (f) non-human: - The bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji impacted iPhones, Apple Watches, and Macs, affecting the functionality of these devices [Article 73758]. - The bug that caused iPhones to crash due to specific text strings also affected Apple Watches, iPads, and Macs, impacting the operation of these devices [Article 36265]. (g) no_consequence: There were observed consequences of the software failure incidents reported in the articles. (h) theoretical_consequence: - The bug involving the Taiwanese flag emoji could have potentially been exploited by hackers for malicious attacks beyond simple pranks, leading to security risks for users [Article 73758]. - The bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving specific text strings could have been used for more malicious attacks, posing a severe threat to iOS device users worldwide if developed into an exploit [Article 36265]. (i) other: There were no other specific consequences mentioned in the articles beyond those related to harm, property, delay, non-human entities, theoretical consequences, or observed consequences. |
| Domain | information, transportation, sales, manufacturing, utilities, finance, knowledge, health, entertainment, government | (a) The bug in Apple's iMessage app involving a string of text and the black dot emoji can overload iMessage if sent to iPhones, affecting the production and distribution of information [71284]. (b) The bug causing iPhones to crash when receiving a message with the Taiwanese flag emoji affected transportation by disrupting the functionality of the devices [73758]. (c) The bug that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a boobytrapped text message also affected the Apple Watch, iPads, and Macs, impacting the transportation of information and communication [36036]. (d) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused devices to crash when a single character in Telugu was sent or typed in text editor affected the sales industry by potentially disrupting communication and transactions on iPhones [68368]. (e) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message affected the construction of communication and information systems on the devices [36265]. (f) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message impacted the manufacturing industry by potentially disrupting communication and operations on the devices [36265]. (g) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message affected the utilities industry by potentially disrupting communication and operations on the devices [36265]. (h) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message impacted the finance industry by potentially disrupting communication and transactions on the devices [36265]. (i) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message affected the knowledge industry by potentially disrupting communication and information sharing on the devices [36265]. (j) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message impacted the health industry by potentially disrupting communication and operations on the devices [36265]. (k) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message affected the entertainment industry by potentially disrupting communication and operations on the devices [36265]. (l) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message impacted the government sector by potentially disrupting communication and operations on the devices [36265]. (m) The bug in Apple's iOS that caused iPhones to crash when receiving a certain string of characters in a message was not directly related to any other specific industry mentioned in the articles. |
Article ID: 71458
Article ID: 22444
Article ID: 36306
Article ID: 40507
Article ID: 40510
Article ID: 36311
Article ID: 42969
Article ID: 68337
Article ID: 36240
Article ID: 40712
Article ID: 68368
Article ID: 98927
Article ID: 47721
Article ID: 31815
Article ID: 73825
Article ID: 36036
Article ID: 36265
Article ID: 36299
Article ID: 73758
Article ID: 71284