Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

I hacked MKBHD's locked phone

Veritasium

5.7M views 3 weeks ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you think the video title means by “hacked” a locked phone?
If someone could take money from a locked phone, what situations might make that possible?
What would you do first if you suddenly saw a $10,000 charge on your phone?

Up Next

Interchange 3 (3 Common ground) Innovation Development
Interchange 2 (14. The body language of business) Innovation Development
Brick Is the Family Snitch | The Middle ClipZone: Sitcoms
How AI could become an extension of your mind | Arnav Kapur TED
World Religions for Kids | What Are the Major World Religions? | Twinkl USA Twinkl Teaching Resources – United States

Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

…

I hacked MKBHD's locked phone

The live demo: small payment, then $10,000 (00:00 – 04:40)

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the first amount they try to charge on the locked phone?

$10,000
$50
$100
$5

2. After the tap, what result appears for the $5 transaction?

Card removed
Declined
Approved
Needs passcode

3. What do they say is the only limit on how much can be taken using this method?

The phone model
The NFC device battery
A fixed limit set by Apple Pay
How much someone has in their bank account

I hacked MKBHD's locked phone

How the hack works: man-in-the-middle + three ‘lies’ (04:40 – 11:53)

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the name of the overall technique where devices are inserted between the phone and the payment reader?

Brute-force attack
Man-in-the-middle attack
DDoS attack
Phishing attack

2. Which Apple feature is exploited to allow payments without unlocking the phone?

Night Shift
Express Transit Mode
AirDrop
Find My iPhone

3. How do they avoid the phone asking for customer verification on a $10,000 charge?

They turn off Face ID remotely
They disable the bank’s fraud detection
They flip a bit so the transaction is labeled low value
They change the numerical value from $10,000 to $10

I hacked MKBHD's locked phone

Why it’s possible: encryption limits, Visa vs MasterCard, and responsibility (11:53 – 25:44)

Transcript will load here…

1. Why does the speaker say the transaction information is sent unencrypted?

Because NFC cannot transmit encrypted data
Because banks refuse to support encryption
Because encryption would slow down payment terminals too much
Because it has to be compatible with thousands of different devices that can’t all be updated at once

2. According to the explanation, what combination makes the hack possible?

Samsung phone + Visa card in any slot
Any Android phone + any debit card
iPhone + MasterCard in the transit slot
iPhone + Visa card in the transit slot

3. What is a key reason the attack can work with Visa in this scenario?

The reader is kept online so it doesn’t check the asymmetric signature that would reveal tampering
Visa requires offline verification only for retail transactions
The bank ignores customer verification results
Visa never uses cryptography

I hacked MKBHD's locked phone

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the main security problem shown in the video?

People can guess iPhone passcodes easily
Banks never refund fraudulent transactions
Tap to Pay always charges the wrong amount
A loophole allows payment data to be altered so a locked phone can authorize payments

2. Which of these is presented as the simplest personal action to reduce risk?

Never use any contactless payments
Keep your phone battery below 20%
Only use payment terminals with printed receipts
Turn transit mode off (or avoid having a Visa card in transit mode on an iPhone)

3. Why does the video argue refunds may not be a complete solution?

Refunds encourage more hacking by paying hackers
Refunds only apply to transactions under $100
Refunds are illegal in most countries
Refunds can still leave people with stress and short-term cash problems

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

I hacked MKBHD's locked phone

Do you think it’s acceptable for companies to say fraud is “unlikely” if customers are protected by refunds? Why or why not?
What trade-offs do you see between convenience (like Express Transit Mode) and security?
Who should be responsible for fixing this kind of vulnerability: the phone maker, the card network, banks, or merchants? Explain your view.
What advice would you give a friend to reduce the risk of contactless payment fraud without giving up convenience completely?