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Beware! Connecting to This Wireless Network Can Break Your iPhone's Wi-Fi Feature

Beware! Connecting to This Wireless Network Can Break Your iPhone's Wi-Fi Feature
Jun 21, 2021
A wireless network naming bug has been discovered in Apple's iOS operating system that effectively disables an iPhone's ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network. The issue was spotted by security researcher  Carl Schou , who found that the phone's Wi-Fi functionality gets permanently disabled after joining a Wi-Fi network with the unusual name " %p%s%s%s%s%n " even after rebooting the phone or changing the network's name (i.e., service set identifier or SSID). The bug could have serious implications in that bad actors could exploit the issue to plant fraudulent Wi-Fi hotspots with the name in question to break the device's wireless networking features. After joining my personal WiFi with the SSID "%p%s%s%s%s%n", my iPhone permanently disabled it's WiFi functionality. Neither rebooting nor changing SSID fixes it :~) pic.twitter.com/2eue90JFu3 — Carl Schou (@vm_call) June 18, 2021 The issue stems from a  string formatting  bug in the manner iOS parses th

Popular iOS SDK Accused of Spying on Billions of Users and Committing Ad Fraud

Popular iOS SDK Accused of Spying on Billions of Users and Committing Ad Fraud
Aug 25, 2020
A popular iOS software development kit (SDK) used by over 1,200 apps—with a total of more than a billion mobile users—is said to contain malicious code with the goal of perpetrating mobile ad-click fraud and capturing sensitive information. According to a report published by cybersecurity firm Snyk , Mintegral — a mobile programmatic advertising platform owned by Chinese mobile ad tech company Mobvista — includes an SDK component that allows it to collect URLs, device identifiers, IP Address, operating system version, and other user sensitive data from compromised apps to a remote logging server. The malicious iOS SDK has been named "SourMint" by Snyk researchers. "The malicious code can spy on user activity by logging URL-based requests made through the app," Snyk's Alyssa Miller said in a Monday analysis. "This activity is logged to a third-party server and could potentially include personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive in

How to Find and Fix Risky Sharing in Google Drive

How to Find and Fix Risky Sharing in Google Drive
Mar 06, 2024Data Security / Cloud Security
Every Google Workspace administrator knows how quickly Google Drive becomes a messy sprawl of loosely shared confidential information. This isn't anyone's fault; it's inevitable as your productivity suite is purposefully designed to enable real-time collaboration – both internally and externally.  For Security & Risk Management teams, the untenable risk of any Google Drive footprint lies in the toxic combinations of sensitive data, excessive permissions, and improper sharing. However, it can be challenging to differentiate between typical business practices and potential risks without fully understanding the context and intent.  Material Security, a company renowned for its innovative method of protecting sensitive data within employee mailboxes, has recently launched  Data Protection for Google Drive  to safeguard the sprawl of confidential information scattered throughout Google Drive with a powerful discovery and remediation toolkit. How Material Security helps organ

New Privacy Features Added to the Upcoming Apple iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur

New Privacy Features Added to the Upcoming Apple iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur
Jun 23, 2020
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. No, we're not talking about 'coronavirus,' the current global pandemic because of which Apple—for the very first time in history—organized its Worldwide Developer Conference ( WWDC ) virtually. Here we're talking about a world in which we are all connected and constantly sharing data, also known as the new oil, with something called "privacy" for which we still have to fight on several fronts together. During WWDC 2020 on Monday, the world's most valuable company announced the next versions of its operating systems — iOS 14 for iPhones, iPadOS 14 for iPads, watchOS 7 for Apple Watches, and macOS Big Sur for MacBooks — with new features and enhancements. What's important is that the company also highlighted a few new security and privacy features that have been added to the upcoming iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur systems, categorically aiming to help users: better control which apps installed

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Apple Releases iOS 12.4.1 Emergency Update to Patch 'Jailbreak' Flaw

Apple Releases iOS 12.4.1 Emergency Update to Patch 'Jailbreak' Flaw
Aug 27, 2019
Apple just patched an unpatched flaw that it patched previously but accidentally unpatched recently — did I confuse you? Let's try it again... Apple today finally released iOS 12.4.1 to fix a critical jailbreak vulnerability , like it or not, that was initially patched by the company in iOS 12.3 but was then accidentally got reintroduced in the previous iOS 12.4 update. For those unaware, roughly a week ago, an anonymous researcher who goes by the online alias "Pwn20wnd" released a free jailbreak for iOS 12.4 on GitHub that exploited a kernel vulnerability (CVE-2019-8605) that Apple patched in iOS 12.3 in May this year. However, the vulnerability accidentally got reintroduced in iOS 12.4 in July, making it easier for hackers to jailbreak updated Apple devices, including the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR or the 2019 iPad Mini and iPad Air, running iOS 12.4 and iOS 12.2 or earlier. Now, Apple has released iOS 12.4.1 to re-patch the security issue that not only allow

Apple will now pay hackers up to $1 million for reporting vulnerabilities

Apple will now pay hackers up to $1 million for reporting vulnerabilities
Aug 09, 2019
Apple has just updated the rules of its bug bounty program by announcing a few major changes during a briefing at the annual Black Hat security conference yesterday. One of the most attractive updates is… Apple has enormously increased the maximum reward for its bug bounty program from $200,000 to $1 million—that's by far the biggest bug bounty offered by any major tech company for reporting vulnerabilities in its products. The $1 million payouts will be rewarded for a severe deadly exploit—a zero-click kernel code execution vulnerability that enables complete, persistent control of a device's kernel. Less severe exploits will qualify for smaller payouts. What's more? From now onwards, Apple's bug bounty program is not just applicable for finding security vulnerabilities in the iOS mobile operating system, but also covers all of its operating systems, including macOS , watchOS, tvOS, iPadOS, and iCloud. Since its inception around three years ago, Apple

Latest iOS 12.2 Update Patches Some Serious Security Vulnerabilities

Latest iOS 12.2 Update Patches Some Serious Security Vulnerabilities
Mar 26, 2019
Apple on Monday released iOS 12.2 to patch a total of 51 security vulnerabilities in its mobile operating system that affects iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, and iPod touch 6th generation. A majority of vulnerabilities Apple patched this month reside in its web rendering engine WebKit, which is used by many apps and web browsers running on the Apple's operating system. According to the advisory , just opening a maliciously crafted web content using any vulnerable WebKit-based application could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code, disclose sensitive user information, bypass sandbox restrictions, or launch universal cross-site scripting attacks on the device. Among the WebKit vulnerabilities include a consistency issue (CVE-2019-6222) that allows malicious websites to potentially access an iOS device microphone without the "microphone-in-use" indicator being shown. A similar vulnerability (CVE-2019-8566) has been patched in Apple's Replay

USB Accessory Can Defeat iOS's New "USB Restricted Mode" Security Feature

USB Accessory Can Defeat iOS's New "USB Restricted Mode" Security Feature
Jul 10, 2018
With the release of iOS 11.4.1, Apple has finally rolled out a new security feature designed to protect your devices against USB accessories that connect to the data port, making it harder for law enforcement and hackers to break into your iPhone or iPad without your permission. Dubbed USB Restricted Mode , the feature automatically disables data connection capabilities of the Lightning port on your iPhone or iPad if the device has been locked for an hour or longer, while the port can still be used for device charging. In other words, every time you lock your iPhone, a countdown timer of an hour gets activated in the background, which if completed, enables the USB restricted mode to prevent unauthorized access to the data port. Once the USB Restricted Mode gets activated, there's no way left for breaking into an iPhone or iPad without the user's permission. The feature would, no doubt, defeat law enforcement's use of special unlocking hardware made by Cellebrite

Apple's iBoot Source Code for iPhone Leaked on Github

Apple's iBoot Source Code for iPhone Leaked on Github
Feb 08, 2018
Apple source code for a core component of iPhone's operating system has purportedly been leaked on GitHub, that could allow hackers and researchers to discover currently unknown zero-day vulnerabilities to develop persistent malware and iPhone jailbreaks. The source code appears to be for iBoot —the critical part of the iOS operating system that's responsible for all security checks and ensures a trusted version of iOS is loaded. In other words, it's like the BIOS of an iPhone which makes sure that the kernel and other system files being booted whenever you turn on your iPhone are adequately signed by Apple and are not modified anyhow. The iBoot code was initially shared online several months back on Reddit , but it just resurfaced today on GitHub (repository now unavailable due to DMCA takedown). Motherboard consulted some security experts who have confirmed the legitimacy of the code. However, at this moment, it is unclear if the iBoot source code is complete

Apple Admits Deliberately Slowing Older iPhones — Here's Why

Apple Admits Deliberately Slowing Older iPhones — Here’s Why
Dec 21, 2017
Why is my iPhone slow? Do you also ask this question again and again? Well, the biggest conspiracy theory floating around from years that Apple deliberately slows down performance on your older iPhones whenever the company is about to launch the next version of its flagship to push its sale is TRUE ( at least partially ). Apple has finally admitted that it does indeed intentionally slow down older iPhone models, without notifying its customers, though the company claims the move is not intended to encourage customers to upgrade to newer iPhone models. Instead, Apple says it is a feature—implemented on the iPhone 6, 6S and SE last year during a software update, and on the iPhone 7 in December with the release of iOS 11.2—to protect against unexpectedly shutting down of older iPhones due to aging batteries and prolong their lifespan. " Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent

Apple Allows Uber to Use a Powerful Feature that Lets it Record iPhone Screen

Apple Allows Uber to Use a Powerful Feature that Lets it Record iPhone Screen
Oct 06, 2017
If you are an iPhone user and use Uber app, you would be surprised to know that widely popular ride-hailing app can record your screen secretly. Security researcher Will Strafach recently revealed that Apple selectively grants (what's known as an " entitlement ") Uber a powerful ability to use the newly introduced screen-recording API with intent to improve the performance of the Uber app on Apple Watch. The screen-recording API allows the Uber app to record user's screen information even when the app is closed, giving Uber access to all the personal information passing through an iPhone screen. What's more?  The company's access to such permission could make this data vulnerable to hackers if they, somehow, able to hijack Uber's software. "It looks like no other third-party developer has been able to get Apple to grant them a private sensitive entitlement of this nature," Strafach told Gizmodo , who first reported about the issue. &q

Apple Releases Dozens of Security Patches for Everything

Apple Releases Dozens of Security Patches for Everything
May 16, 2017
While Windows users are currently in fear of getting their systems hijacked by the WannaCry ransomware outbreak, Apple users are sitting relaxed, thinking that malware attacks are something that happens to Windows users, and not Apple. But you are mistaken – Apple products are also not immune to the hack attacks and malware infections, as an ebook can hack your Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Apple on Monday pushed out software updates for iOS, macOS, Safari, tvOS, iCloud, iTunes, and watchOS to fix a total of 67 unique security vulnerabilities, many of which allows attackers to perform remote code execution on an affected system. iOS is 10.3.2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Apple's mobile operating system iOS 10.3.2 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch addresses 41 security flaws, 23 of which resides in WebKit, including 17 remote code execution and 5 cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. Besides this, iOS 10.3.2 also addresses a pair of flaws in iBooks for iOS (CVE-2017-24

Apple hires Encryption Expert to Beef Up Security on its Devices

Apple hires Encryption Expert to Beef Up Security on its Devices
May 25, 2016
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have waged legal war on encryption and privacy technologies. You may have heard many news stories about the legal battle between Apple and the FBI over unlocking an iPhone that belonged to the San Bernardino shooter. However, that was just one battle in a much larger fight. Now, in an effort to make its iPhone surveillance-and-hack proof, Apple has rehired security expert and cryptographer Jon Callas , who co-founded the widely-used email encryption software PGP and the secure-messaging system Silent Circle that sells the Blackphone. This is not Apple's first effort over its iPhone security . Just a few months back, the company hired Frederic Jacobs , one of the key developers of Signal — World's most secure, open source and encrypted messaging app . Now Apple has rehired Callas, who has previously worked for Apple twice, first from 1995 to 1997 and then from 2009 to 2011. During his second joining, Callas designed a ful

Apple Can Still Read Your End-to-End Encrypted iMessages

Apple Can Still Read Your End-to-End Encrypted iMessages
Jan 25, 2016
If you are backing up your data using iCloud Backup , then you need you watch your steps NOW! In government fight against encryption, Apple has positioned itself as a staunch defender of its user privacy by refusing the federal officials to provide encryption backdoors into its products. When it comes to Apple's iMessage service, the company claims that it can't read messages sent between its devices because they use end-to-end encryption, which apparently means that only you and the intended recipient can read it. Moreover, in case, if the federal authorities ask Apple to hand over messages related to any of its users, there is nothing with Apple to offer them. "If the government laid a subpoena to get iMessages, we can't provide it," Apple CEO Tim Cook told Charlie Rose back in 2014. "It is encrypted, and we do not have a key." But Wait! There are still hundreds of Millions of Apple users whose data are stored on Apple'

For Better Privacy & Security, Change these iOS 9 Settings Immediately

For Better Privacy & Security, Change these iOS 9 Settings Immediately
Sep 17, 2015
iOS 9 is out, and it's time to update your iPhone or iPad to the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. The new iOS is better, faster, and more efficient than its predecessors, with a number of new features and improvements including enhanced multitasking for iPad, Proactive Assistant Siri, new Low Power mode, Transit directions in Maps and many more. You need to download iOS 9 right away. But, after installing it on your iOS device, you should immediately change these security settings to protect your privacy. Besides various new features, iOS 9 also comes with a handful of security and privacy improvements. So, before doing anything like loading new apps, customizing your phone, or syncing your data, you need to check these settings – and if necessary, changed. 1. Locking the Door Boost iOS 9 Security by Setting a Longer 6-digit Passcode When you set up an iOS device, you are asked to create a passcode to encrypt your entire iPho
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