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Apple has released Beats Firmware Update 1B211 to fix a high-severity Bluetooth vulnerability in Beats Studio Buds that could let an attacker within wireless range listen through the earbuds’ microphone under limited conditions. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-20701, affected devices while they were unpaired and actively seeking a pairing request, allowing pre-pairing eavesdropping. Apple said the issue originated in open source code and noted that Apple software was among the affected projects.
The bug was identified in Airoha system-on-chip code by researchers Dennis Heinze and Frieder Steinmetz of ERNW GmbH, who linked it to missing authentication in the Bluetooth BR/EDR radio. ERNW said the flaw could be chained with CVE-2025-20700 and CVE-2025-20702 to enable broader attacks against vulnerable headphones, including issuing phone commands, extracting link keys, accessing call history and contacts, and placing calls, though such attacks require close proximity and substantial technical skill. The update is delivered automatically when the earbuds are paired with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, placed on a charger, and kept within Bluetooth range.
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3 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Reporting disclosed that CVE-2025-20701 could be chained with CVE-2025-20700 and CVE-2025-20702 to enable broader compromise of vulnerable headphones. The described impacts included issuing phone commands, extracting link keys, accessing call history and contacts, and placing calls, though the attacks require proximity and significant technical sophistication.
Dennis Heinze and Frieder Steinmetz of ERNW GmbH found a high-severity Bluetooth vulnerability in Airoha system-on-chip code affecting Beats Studio Buds. The issue was tracked as CVE-2025-20701 and was described as stemming from missing authentication in the Bluetooth BR/EDR radio.
Apple released Beats Firmware Update 1B211 to fix a Bluetooth vulnerability that could allow an attacker within Bluetooth range to listen through the device microphone under limited conditions before pairing. Apple said the flaw originated in open source code and affected Studio Buds when they were unpaired and actively seeking pairing requests.
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Researchers disclosed three vulnerabilities in Bluetooth audio devices built on Airoha systems-on-chip that can allow an attacker within radio range to gain unauthorized access to device memory and communications. The flaws, tracked as **`CVE-2025-20700`**, **`CVE-2025-20701`**, and **`CVE-2025-20702`**, stem from missing authentication in GATT and Bluetooth BR/EDR components and weak permission controls in a proprietary protocol, affecting headphones and earbuds sold by brands including **Sony, Bose, Jabra, JBL, Marshall, Beyerdynamic, and Teufel**. ERNW researchers said the bugs can be chained to hijack the Bluetooth link between a phone and an audio device, issue commands to the paired phone through the **Hands-Free Profile**, eavesdrop on conversations, and potentially overwrite firmware for remote code execution on the accessory. The attack requires proximity because exploitation is limited by Bluetooth range, but defenders were urged to apply vendor firmware updates and investigate or restart devices showing abnormal Bluetooth behavior.
Jul 24, 2026
Security researchers have identified and disclosed several critical vulnerabilities in Bluetooth headphones and earbuds powered by Airoha Bluetooth System-on-Chips (SoCs), which are widely used by major brands such as Sony, Bose, JBL, Marshall, and Jabra. The vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2025-20700, CVE-2025-20701, and CVE-2025-20702, allow attackers within Bluetooth range to eavesdrop on conversations, steal sensitive data, and potentially hijack connected smartphones. The most severe flaw, related to the RACE (Remote Access Control Engine) protocol, enables remote code execution and arbitrary memory access due to missing authentication mechanisms in both Bluetooth Low Energy and Classic modes. Despite initial disclosure in June 2025 and the availability of patches, many affected devices remain unpatched, increasing the risk of exploitation. The RACE protocol, originally designed for factory debugging and firmware updates, is exposed over multiple interfaces, including Bluetooth and USB HID, providing attackers with powerful capabilities if exploited. Researchers have released a white paper and the RACE Toolkit to help users and security professionals assess device vulnerability. The ongoing exposure of these flaws highlights the importance of timely patching and the risks associated with insecure default configurations in widely deployed consumer electronics. Users of affected headphones and earbuds are urged to check for firmware updates and apply patches as soon as possible to mitigate the risk of compromise.
Jun 29, 2026
Apple issued security updates across its ecosystem to address **multiple vulnerabilities** affecting *iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS,* and *visionOS*, with impacts including **remote code execution (RCE)**, denial of service, elevation of privilege, information disclosure, data manipulation, and security restriction bypass. HKCERT highlighted **CVE-2026-20700** as a **high-risk** issue and noted it is **being exploited in the wild**; the flaw is described as an **improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer** that could allow arbitrary code execution when an attacker has memory-write capability. Apple’s iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 security content includes fixes for issues that could expose sensitive information on a locked device (e.g., **CVE-2026-20645** and **CVE-2026-20674**) and a Bluetooth-related denial-of-service condition where a privileged network attacker could trigger DoS using crafted packets (**CVE-2026-20650**). The updates apply to **iPhone 11 and later** and a range of supported iPad models, and Apple reiterated its policy of publishing details after patches are available.
Jul 23, 2026