Apple's AirTag tracking devices can have their speakers disabled in a matter of minutes using basic tools, making them harder to detect if used for nefarious purposes, ZD NET reports. This could allow for surreptitious tracking, as a silenced AirTag is more difficult to locate. The ease of modification was demonstrated in an article by ZD NET Senior Contributing Editor Adrian Kingsley-Hughes.The testing revealed that the speaker on Apple's latest AirTags can be disabled in under two minutes with a single tool, such as a spudger. The process involves opening the device and physically removing or disabling the speaker. Despite Apple's efforts to prevent the misuse of AirTags for stalking, such as implementing anti-stalking alerts, modified hardware remains a significant concern.While Apple could potentially mitigate this issue through a firmware update that detects speaker tampering by monitoring electrical current, the current hardware design remains vulnerable, Kingsley-Hughes wrote. This highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing device functionality with robust security measures against malicious modifications and misuse in the consumer electronics industry.Source: ZD NET
