Toni Dimaano Tech 02.22.2023 08:Feb AM EST

Bomb Threat Spread Through AirDrop Grounds American Airlines Flight

A teenager has been taken into custody after using AirDrop to threaten passengers on an American Airlines flight with a bomb.

The traveler requested to share a photo of a bomb they were carrying by using the iOS service, according to Android Authority.

The Bomb Threat Caused Delay

El Paso International Airport was the departure point for the aircraft carrying 125 passengers and eight crew members.

After iOS users received the following message over AirDrop, the flight was then delayed by four hours.

Sharing photographs, videos, and other types of information between iOS devices is possible through AirDrop, Apple's exclusive wireless file transfer service.

It is important to note that to use the service, bluetooth and Wi-Fi must be enabled and the sender and receivers must be close to each other.

However, in order for someone to send them something through the service, iPhone, Mac, or iPad users must enable AirDrop to receive goods or make their devices discoverable.

With the aid of Apple's Airdrop technology, iPhone users could wirelessly send photos and files to other Mac users who were within 30 feet of one another.

In this instance, the unidentified teen admitted to using AirDrop to threaten others and warn them not to leave this setting on all the time.

The bomb squad had to thoroughly search the entire plane before the suspect could be taken into custody, Android Authority reports.

Luckily, there were no bombs located in the passengers' belongings, the luggage, or any other part of the aircraft.

The teen's phone was seized by the authorities, who discovered evidence of the prank AirDrop message on it.

The individual will face legal action from the El Paso County Attorney's Office for making a false report or alarm.

The Texas Department Of Public Safety Shared A Statement

The juvenile offender has finally been caught in El Paso, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety Statement, and will face charges.

However, which passengers were getting the bomb threat is not specified in the report, according to Android Authority.

The student may have been able to utilize AirDrop in this way if one of two things happened. First, the passengers who received the threats may have had their AirDrop settings set to "Everyone."

Although there is a 10-minute time limit for setting AirDrop to "Everyone," this restriction does not apply to iOS 16.2 or later users.

After that brief period, it changes back to "Contacts Only," and users are no longer discoverable by anyone outside of their contacts.

As such, it is likely that the student shared the threat with classmates who knew about it, grounding the flight with angry passengers, and landing the teen with a felony charge.

However, despite the hold up of more than five hours after the scheduled time, American Airlines flight 2051 eventually landed at its destination of Chicago O'Hare International Airport.