Google discovers six major security flaws in Apple’s iOS 12
Vulnerabilities in iMessage software can be exploited without any interaction from user
Security researchers at Google have uncovered six fundamental flaws in Apple’s iOS software that could expose iPhone users to cyberattacks.
Natalie Silvanovich and Samuel Gros, from the search giant’s Project Zero software “bug-hunting” team, have published the “details and demo exploit code” for five of six security flaws that can be exploited through iMessage in iOS 12, ZDNet reports.
The final security flaw has not been outlined publicly as Apple is still in the process of resolving the bug, the tech news site says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
All six of the faults highlighted by the researchers are “interactionless”, which means they require no interaction from the user to run, according to The Verge.
Four of the vulnerabilities, including the one that has yet to be fixed, are triggered when an attacker sends “a message containing malicious code”, the site says. The glitch occurs as soon as the user opens the message.
The other two exploits can be used to “leak data from a device’s memory” and view files from an external device, adds ZDNet.
Whenever a software fault is discovered by Project Zero researchers, the manufacturer of the device is informed and given 90 days to come up with a fix, says Forbes. Information about the flaw is then publicly disclosed.
Are iPhone users in danger of a cyberattack?
Probably not in this instance. Apple fixed five of the six vulnerabilities last week and it shouldn’t be too long before the company addresses the final fault.
Although the California-based tech giant has not revealed how it tackled the security flaws, it has advised users that “keeping your software up to date is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your Apple product’s security”, the BBC reports.
To download the latest software for iPhones, currently listed as iOS 12.4, users simply need to go to their smartphone’s Settings app and then select the General tab before pressing Software Update.
Once in the update menu, the phone will inform the user whether a new version of iOS is available to download. If the device is running older software, the user will be given the option to download and install the most recent version, providing their phone isn’t too old to run the update.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: pure 'nostalgia bait'
Talking Point Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return for sequel to the 1988 cult classic
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: September 14, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: September 14, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
FDA OKs Apple AirPods as OTC hearing aids
Speed read The approved software will turn Apple's AirPods Pro 2 headphones into over-the-counter hearing aids
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will the Google antitrust ruling shake up the internet?
Today's Big Question And what does that mean for users?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why is the tech industry up in arms about Google's search algorithm leak?
Today's Big Question A leak of about 2,500 documents shed light on how Google's search engine operates, and not everyone is happy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Apple unveils AI integration, ChatGPT partnership
Speed Read AI capabilities will be added to a bulked-up Siri and other apps, in partnership with OpenAI's ChatGPT
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Apple Intelligence: iPhone maker set to overhaul the AI experience
In the Spotlight A 'top-to-bottom makeover of the iPhone' sees the tech giant try to win the consumer AI game
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How AI is going to change the Google search experience
Talking Points Summaries are the new links
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Google unveils 'AI overviews' atop search results
Speed Read Users of the search engine in the US will now get AI-generated answers first
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published