His AirTags allow him to find his stolen scooter

Last April, Apple confirmed many rumors shared for months by announcing the AirTag. This tracker works like Tile's key rings: equipped with a Bluetooth chip, it can be easily found by using the network of the Locate app on iOS. And indeed, a cybersecurity researcher was able to demonstrate not only the usefulness but also the effectiveness of the gadget.

Dan Guido is the co-founder of Trail of Bits. Under this name hides a relentless team of IT specialists, aware of the latest threats and capable of identifying the slightest flaws in their clients' apps and products. His job? Analyze the source codes of big names in tech like Airbnb, Adobe, Facebook, GitHub, Stripe, Reddit,New York Timesand even DARPA in order to improve their security.

My scooter was stolen last week. Unknown to the thief, I hid two Airtags inside it. I was able to use the Apple Find My network and UWB direction finding to recover the scooter today. Here’s how it all went down:

— Dan Guido (@dguido)August 10, 2021

The affair

It all started last week, when the manager went to a dinner in town and thought about correctly attaching his electric scooter to a barrier. Unfortunately this is not the case, so thieves seize his property in less than two hours. If many would then find themselves distraught, that is not the case this time: the victim had in fact thought of hiding two AirTags - including a decoy, excellent idea - in the device...

• Apple AirTag review: much more than an object locator?

Neither one nor two, Guido then goes to the address indicated by his Locate application to find the accessories. He asks for help fromNYPD, equipped with iPhone, who initially refuses to assist him. The officers indeed doubt the veracity of his statements, especially since they have never heard of AirTags given their fairly recent marketing.

All's well that ends well

After having nevertheless managed to convince the police to follow him, the CEO then precisely geolocates his electric scooter in a store, where multiple similar models are resold second-hand. All he then needs to do is ring the AirTag and then pair the Ninebot with its companion application to retrieve his belongings.

It's difficult to know if this is a simple mishap or a successful communication stunt for his company. However, Guido would like to point out two important points to remember in case you want to find an item stolen with an AirTag:

• consider wrapping the AirTag in gaffer tape to cover it enough so that the thief does not hear it ring
• do not mark the AirTag as lost, at the risk of notifying the thief on their iPhone

Of course, these tips are not to be followed in the event of a loss, but it is impossible to predict this type of event...