Experts warn of a hidden setting on your iPhone's Wi-Fi that makes you vulnerable to hacking

As smartphones become smarter, they acquire more and more features and tools that initially serve to improve or facilitate processes, however, they can also be exploited with malicious intent and end up being the gateway to a cyber attack.

We have pointed out on numerous occasions that WiFi can be one of these entry points for various cyberattacks. For example, you can connect to a WiFi network in a bar or at the airport thinking it is legitimate, but in reality they are covert networks controlled by a cybercriminal to spy on you. And there are hundreds more examples like this.

Therefore, it is crucial to protect ourselves by being aware of these dangers, being cautious and never fully trusting anything that is presented to us as free or a unique opportunity. However, a group of researchers from the National Security Agency (NSA) of the USA is warning that the danger could be activated by default in iPhones after discovering one of the WiFi functions of these devices.

This is a setting called "hotspot tethering," which basically makes your phone connect to any network it detects automatically without you having to do anything. There are three modes within this option: never, ask before joining, or automatic.

As experts point out, the automatic option is activated by default, so if you have not changed it, your iPhone connects directly to any network. Experts point out that this is not recommended because they could even end up taking control of your device by simply connecting to a public WiFi.

Luckily, to avoid this danger, you just have to change the settings in the Connect to hotspots section , either to never or to before joining, if there are cases in which you prefer your iPhone to connect directly to certain Wi-Fi networks. Don't forget that today the threat is behind every click, link or platform and that any security or protection measure is not enough.