This website crashes almost all browsers

A website is currently causing a stir among many users. This should be able to crash almost all browsers as well as mobile browsers. What's really behind it? Is that correct or not? We clarify.

A website is currently being distributed in emails and messages on WhatsApp and other messengers that can cause almost all browsers to crash when opened. The URL for this website is crashsafari.com ("Crash Safari"). It is not just iOS users who are affected by this problem. Even Windows and Android users could be affected by this problem, as this website can also cause the well-known browsers Google Chrome and Firefox to freeze. After closing the browser, at least on Windows and Android, or after closing the respective tab, if possible, everything should work normally again.

What does this page have to do with Safari?

Picture: TechnikNews

iOS users should not click on this link, because this not only crashes the browser, but also restarts the iPhone and iPod afterwards (was tested by us with an iPhone with the current iOS 9.2.1). With Safari, however, this page is not that easy to close. To leave the page anyway, the iPhone has to be switched to airplane mode, then Safari has to be started & then the tab has to be clicked away. But there is still a browser that cannot be disabled by such a website: the Microsoft Edge, which was released with Windows 10. We also have from TechnikNews tested whether an iPad with iOS 5.1.1 could crash through this website: without success. In both cases the text appears on the page What were you expecting? (in German: What did you expect?).

Now we can only hope that this trick will soon no longer be possible with the browsers concerned. How long it will take is not yet known. What you can do, however, is simply not to open this page or, if you do, simply follow the instructions above.