Mac And iOS Pranksters Might Make You Frustrated Today

Heads up, there's another bad link coming your way if you're a Mac or an iOS user. Social media users seem to think the prank is funny, disguising the link with URL shorteners so that people don't know what they're clicking on until it's too late. Twitter followers are duped into clicking on a link that suddenly renders their device unusable. So, how bad is it? At the moment it seems that the link is just a minor annoyance and doesn't cause any severe problems with the devices. The hack has been reported to work on iOS 9.2.1 and OS X 10.11.3. No word from Apple yet but they will most likely come out with a fix with their next update since this doesn't seem to be a major issue. 

What's even more annoying is that the hack is actually pretty simple.

9to5mac reports that visiting CrashSafari.com while using your Apple device will cause the Safari app to crash, making you lose all of your open tabs and potentially causing you to restart your device. Not all affected users have reported that their device restarts, but it is a possibility. Comments on the site also reflect that the link can cause Firefox and Chrome with Windows 10 to crash as well. One user even reported that his browser crashed on an Android device, so this little gag may be out to get more than just Apple users. 

What's even more annoying is that the hack is actually pretty simple. The site runs the HTML5 code  that makes the browser try to recall information rapidly, as in thousands of times, which overwhelms it, causing it to crash. On a Mac, Safari will display the "Application Not Responding" message but on mobile devices, the app may crash and prompt a total reboot for your iPhone or iPad. There is also some trouble circulating with Safari freezes today that may not be related to this hack. If you're having problems due to Safari's search suggestion features, there may be a quick fix. Simply go to Preferences, go to the Search tab, and then deselect Include Search Engine Selections. Then restart Safari. Hopefully, this should work. 

via GIPHY

I have no idea why people think it's so funny to send something to your phone or computer that makes it crash or restart completely. It seems like some people get a kick out of causing their friends frustration or maybe they just want to feel like they're smart enough to have figured out a tech trick. Newsflash kids, you're just using someone else's dirty work to annoy the hell out of someone who probably hates you a little bit after sending them that link. My advice? Stay away from the malware tricks. While harmless to the device, you might want to consider what it will do to your friendship. 

Photo credit: amenclinics_photos via Foter.com / CC BY-SA