apple – Page 2 – SSL and internet security news

Zero-Click Exploit in iPhones

September 13, 2023 infossl

apple, exploits, ios, iphone, Security technology, spyware, Uncategorized, vulnerabilities

Make sure you update your iPhones: Citizen Lab says two zero-days fixed by Apple today in emergency security updates were actively abused as part of a zero-click exploit chain (dubbed BLASTPASS) to deploy NSO Group’s Pegasus commercial spyware onto fully patched iPhones. The two bugs, tracked as CVE-2023-41064 and CVE-2023-41061, allowed the attackers to infect … Read More “Zero-Click Exploit in iPhones” »

When Apps Go Rogue

August 30, 2023 infossl

apple, botnets, Security technology, Uncategorized

Interesting story of an Apple Macintosh app that went rogue. Basically, it was a good app until one particular update…when it went bad. With more official macOS features added in 2021 that enabled the “Night Shift” dark mode, the NightOwl app was left forlorn and forgotten on many older Macs. Few of those supposed tens … Read More “When Apps Go Rogue” »

Bypassing a Theft Threat Model

April 13, 2023 infossl

alarms, apple, iphone, Security technology, theft, Uncategorized

Thieves cut through the wall of a coffee shop to get to an Apple store, bypassing the alarms in the process. I wrote about this kind of thing in 2000, in Secrets and Lies (page 318): My favorite example is a band of California art thieves that would break into people’s houses by cutting a … Read More “Bypassing a Theft Threat Model” »

Apple Patches iPhone Zero-Day

December 16, 2022 infossl

apple, ios, iphone, patching, Security technology, Uncategorized, zero-day

The most recent iPhone update—to version 16.1.2—patches a zero-day vulnerability that “may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.1.” News: Apple said security researchers at Google’s Threat Analysis Group, which investigates nation state-backed spyware, hacking and cyberattacks, discovered and reported the WebKit bug. WebKit bugs are often exploited when a … Read More “Apple Patches iPhone Zero-Day” »

Apple Is Finally Encrypting iCloud Backups

December 12, 2022 infossl

apple, backups, cloud computing, encryption, Security technology, Uncategorized

After way too many years, Apple is finally encrypting iCloud backups: Based on a screenshot from Apple, these categories are covered when you flip on Advanced Data Protection: device backups, messages backups, iCloud Drive, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Safari bookmarks, Siri Shortcuts, Voice Memos, and Wallet Passes. Apple says the only “major” categories not covered by … Read More “Apple Is Finally Encrypting iCloud Backups” »

Apple’s Device Analytics Can Identify iCloud Users

November 22, 2022 infossl

apple, cloud computing, courts, identification, ios, privacy, Security technology, tracking, Uncategorized

Researchers claim that supposedly anonymous device analytics information can identify users: On Twitter, security researchers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry have found that Apple’s device analytics data includes an iCloud account and can be linked directly to a specific user, including their name, date of birth, email, and associated information stored on iCloud. Apple … Read More “Apple’s Device Analytics Can Identify iCloud Users” »

Apple Only Commits to Patching Latest OS Version

October 31, 2022 infossl

apple, ios, patching, Security technology, Uncategorized

People have suspected this for a while, but Apple has made it official. It only commits to fully patching the latest version of its OS, even though it claims to support older versions. From ArsTechnica: In other words, while Apple will provide security-related updates for older versions of its operating systems, only the most recent … Read More “Apple Only Commits to Patching Latest OS Version” »

Zoom Exploit on MacOS

August 17, 2022 infossl

apple, exploits, privilege escalation, Security technology, Uncategorized, vulnerabilities

This vulnerability was reported to Zoom last December: The exploit works by targeting the installer for the Zoom application, which needs to run with special user permissions in order to install or remove the main Zoom application from a computer. Though the installer requires a user to enter their password on first adding the application … Read More “Zoom Exploit on MacOS” »

Apple’s Lockdown Mode

July 26, 2022 infossl

apple, cybersecurity, ios, Security technology, Uncategorized, usability, vulnerabilities

I haven’t written about Apple’s Lockdown Mode yet, mostly because I haven’t delved into the details. This is how Apple describes it: Lockdown Mode offers an extreme, optional level of security for the very few users who, because of who they are or what they do, may be personally targeted by some of the most … Read More “Apple’s Lockdown Mode” »

M1 Chip Vulnerability

June 15, 2022 infossl

academic papers, apple, cybersecurity, hardware, malware, Security technology, Uncategorized, vulnerabilities

This is a new vulnerability against Apple’s M1 chip. Researchers say that it is unpatchable. Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, however, have created a novel hardware attack, which combines memory corruption and speculative execution attacks to sidestep the security feature. The attack shows that pointer authentication can be defeated without leaving … Read More “M1 Chip Vulnerability” »