#1 Trusted Cybersecurity News Platform Followed by 4.50+ million
The Hacker News Logo
Get the Free Newsletter
SaaS Security

icloud | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

WhatsApp Introduces New Privacy Feature to Protect IP Address in Calls

WhatsApp Introduces New Privacy Feature to Protect IP Address in Calls

Nov 08, 2023 Privacy / Data Security
Meta-owned WhatsApp is officially rolling out a  new privacy feature  in its messaging service called "Protect IP Address in Calls" that masks users' IP addresses to other parties by relaying the calls through its servers. "Calls are end-to-end encrypted, so even if a call is relayed through WhatsApp servers, WhatsApp cannot listen to your calls," the company said in a statement shared with The Hacker News. The core idea is to make it harder for bad actors in the call to infer a user's location by securely relaying the connection through WhatsApp servers. However, a tradeoff to enabling the privacy option is a slight dip in call quality. Viewed in that light, it's akin to Apple's  iCloud Private Relay , which adds an anonymity layer by  routing users' Safari browsing sessions  through two secure internet relays. It's worth noting that the "Protect IP Address in Calls" feature has been under development since at least late Augu
Apple Boosts Security With New iMessage, Apple ID, and iCloud Protections

Apple Boosts Security With New iMessage, Apple ID, and iCloud Protections

Dec 08, 2022 Data Protection / E2E Encryption
Apple on Wednesday  announced  a raft of security measures, including an Advanced Data Protection setting that enables end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) data backups in its iCloud service. The headlining feature, when turned on, is expected to secure 23 data categories using E2EE, including device and message backups, iCloud Drive, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Voice Memos, Safari Bookmarks, Siri Shortcuts, and Wallet Passes. The iPhone maker said the only major iCloud data categories that are still not protected by E2EE are Mail, Contacts, and Calendar because of the "need to interoperate with the global email, contacts, and calendar systems" that use legacy technologies. Advanced Data Protection's E2EE protections for iCloud also mean that users' personal data can only be decrypted on their trusted devices, which retain the encryption keys. "If you enable Advanced Data Protection and then lose access to your account, Apple will not have the encryption keys to help
How to Accelerate Vendor Risk Assessments in the Age of SaaS Sprawl

How to Accelerate Vendor Risk Assessments in the Age of SaaS Sprawl

Mar 21, 2024SaaS Security / Endpoint Security
In today's digital-first business environment dominated by SaaS applications, organizations increasingly depend on third-party vendors for essential cloud services and software solutions. As more vendors and services are added to the mix, the complexity and potential vulnerabilities within the  SaaS supply chain  snowball quickly. That's why effective vendor risk management (VRM) is a critical strategy in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks to protect organizational assets and data integrity. Meanwhile, common approaches to vendor risk assessments are too slow and static for the modern world of SaaS. Most organizations have simply adapted their legacy evaluation techniques for on-premise software to apply to SaaS providers. This not only creates massive bottlenecks, but also causes organizations to inadvertently accept far too much risk. To effectively adapt to the realities of modern work, two major aspects need to change: the timeline of initial assessment must shorte
Apple's New iCloud Private Relay Service Leaks Users' Real IP Addresses

Apple's New iCloud Private Relay Service Leaks Users' Real IP Addresses

Sep 24, 2021
A new as-yet unpatched weakness in Apple's iCloud Private Relay feature could be circumvented to leak users' true IP addresses from iOS devices running the latest version of the operating system. Introduced as a beta with iOS 15, which was officially released this week,  iCloud Private Relay  aims to improve anonymity on the web by employing a dual-hop architecture that effectively shields users' IP address, location, and DNS requests from websites and network service providers. It achieves this by routing users' internet traffic on the Safari browser through two proxies in order to mask who's browsing and where that data is coming from in what could be viewed as a simplified version of Tor.  However, the feature is available only to iCloud+ subscribers running iOS 15 or macOS 12 Monterey and above. "If you read the IP address from an HTTP request received by your server, you'll get the IP address of the egress proxy," FingerprintJS researcher Se
cyber security

Automated remediation solutions are crucial for security

websiteWing SecurityShadow IT / SaaS Security
Especially when it comes to securing employees' SaaS usage, don't settle for a longer to-do list. Auto-remediation is key to achieving SaaS security.
Apple to Scan Every Device for Child Abuse Content — But Experts Fear for Privacy

Apple to Scan Every Device for Child Abuse Content — But Experts Fear for Privacy

Aug 06, 2021
Apple on Thursday said it's introducing new child safety features in iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS as part of its efforts to limit the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in the U.S. To that effect, the iPhone maker said it intends to begin client-side scanning of images shared via every Apple device for known child abuse content as they are being uploaded into iCloud Photos, in addition to leveraging on-device machine learning to vet all iMessage images sent or received by minor accounts (aged under 13) to warn parents of sexually explicit photos shared over the messaging platform. Furthermore, Apple also plans to update Siri and Search to stage an intervention when users try to perform searches for CSAM-related topics, alerting that the "interest in this topic is harmful and problematic." "Messages uses on-device machine learning to analyze image attachments and determine if a photo is sexually explicit," Apple  noted . "The feature is desi
Here's How to Download All the Data Apple Collects About You

Here's How to Download All the Data Apple Collects About You

May 24, 2018
Apple is making it easier for its users to download their data the company has collected about them so far. On Wednesday, Apple just launched a new Data and Privacy website that allows you to download everything that the company knows about you, from Apple ID info, device info, App Store activity, AppleCare history, your online shopping habits to all of your data stored in its iCloud. A similar feature was recently offered by Facebook, enabling its users to download all of their data , not only what they have posted, but also information like facial recognition and location data, following the Cambridge Analytica scandal . Apple has currently made this feature only available for people having accounts in European Union (along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) act, which goes into effect on May 25. However, Apple is planning to roll out this feature worldwide in the coming months. "We inten
Apple Moves iCloud Data and Encryption Keys for Chinese Users to China

Apple Moves iCloud Data and Encryption Keys for Chinese Users to China

Feb 28, 2018
Apple has finally agreed to open a new Chinese data center next month to comply with the country's latest controversial data protection law. Apple will now move the cryptographic keys of its Chinese iCloud users in data centers run by a state-owned company called Cloud Big Data Industrial Development Co, despite concerns from human rights activists. In 2017, China passed a Cybersecurity Law that requires "critical information infrastructure operators" to store Chinese users' data within the country's borders, which likely forced Apple to partner with the new Chinese data center. And the icing on the cake is that Chinese government already has legislation called National Security Law, passed in 2015, which gives police the authority to demand companies help them bypass encryption or other security tools to access personal data. This is the first time when Apple is going to store encryption keys required to unlock iCloud accounts of its users outside the
Police Arrest Man Potentially Linked to Group Threatening to Wipe Millions Of iPhones

Police Arrest Man Potentially Linked to Group Threatening to Wipe Millions Of iPhones

Mar 29, 2017
The British authority has reportedly arrested a 20-years-old young man – potentially one of the member of a cyber criminal gang ' Turkish Crime Family ' who threatened Apple last week to remotely wipe data from millions of iOS devices unless Apple pays a ransom of $75,000. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested a young man from London on Tuesday on suspicion of " Computer Misuse Act and extortion offences, " who according to Motherboard , " may be connected to the ongoing attempted extortion of Apple by a group calling itself the Turkish Crime Family. " Last week, the hacking group claimed to have access to over 300 million iCloud accounts and threatened Apple to remotely wipe data from those millions of Apple devices unless Apple pays it $75,000 in Bitcoin or Ethereum, or $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards. Motherboard broke the story after one of the members of Turkish Crime Family shared screenshots of emails between the hacking gro
How A Bug Hunter Forced Apple to Completely Remove A Newly Launched Feature

How A Bug Hunter Forced Apple to Completely Remove A Newly Launched Feature

Jan 20, 2017
Recently Apple released a new Feature for iPhone and iPad users, but it was so buggy that the company had no option other than rolling back the feature completely. In November, Apple introduced a new App Store feature, dubbed " Notify " button — a bright orange button that users can click if they want to be alerted via iCloud Mail when any game or app becomes available on the App Store. Vulnerability Lab's Benjamin Kunz Mejri discovered multiple vulnerabilities in iTunes's Notify feature and iCloud mail, which could allow an attacker to infect other Apple users with malware. "Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in session hijacking, persistent phishing attacks, persistent redirect to external sources and persistent manipulation of affected or connected service module context," Mejri wrote in an advisory published Monday. Here's How the Attack Works? The attack involves exploitation of three vulnerabilities via iTunes and th
iOS vulnerability allows to disable 'Find My iPhone' without password

iOS vulnerability allows to disable 'Find My iPhone' without password

Feb 09, 2014
Smartphone manufacturers are adding ways for owners to track and manage their phones if they ever get lost or stolen. Find My iPhone is a service that comes with every iOS device that allows you to track your iPhone, whether it was lost or stolen. Normally, the iPhone requires a password if you want to deactivate " Find My iPhone ", but it isn't entirely perfect and thieves are now smart enough to disable ' Find My iPhone ' on devices running iOS 7.0.4 and lower version, without having to enter a password. The exploit was discovered and demonstrated security researcher ' Bradley Williams ' and performing a successful bypass means you won't be able to locate, make sound and wipe out. The vulnerability could put the devices at risk, and the exploitation method involves a few simple steps that involve making changes in the iCloud settings, even if they don't know the password. Steps to hack 'Find My iPhone': Navigate to iCloud in the settin
Apple adds two-factor authentication to iCloud and Apple ID

Apple adds two-factor authentication to iCloud and Apple ID

Mar 22, 2013
Apple is beefing up the security of its iCloud and Apple ID accounts by adding two-factor authentication to the account login process. Users who activate the option will be required to enter a four-digit code they may receive via SMS message, aside from the usual password. Two-factor authentication is gaining popularity because it makes login to online services significantly more secure compared to regular process. Apple has rolled out this functionality for Apple ID and iCloud users. " Turning on two-step verification reduces the possibility of someone accessing or making unauthorized changes to your account information at My Apple ID or making purchases using your account ," Apple said . Apple will be using both the app and SMS versions, providing security codes through texts as well as the FindMyiPhone app. As long as users are able to remember their password, they will have the ability to generate a new recovery key from the My Apple ID website. You
Cybersecurity Resources