Another notable bug was discovered and publicized just over the weekend by security researcher Carl Schou in which the presence of a malformed Wi-Fi network name, also known as the SSID, could ‘permanently’ disable an iPhone’s ability to view and connect to nearby Wi-Fi networks. It’s not the first time a Wi-Fi name glitch has affected iPhones, which understandably raises some eyebrows.
Citing the security researcher, the bug would be triggered if the iPhone comes within range of a Wi-Fi network or personal hotspot with the offending name or SSID. Consequently, the Settings app’s Wi-Fi toggle switch becomes disabled and grayed out, preventing the user from turning it back on. Not even resetting the iPhone’s network settings fixes this, compelling the iPhone owner to effectively restore the device to factory settings.