Apple Inc. iPhone security 'compromised' after major software flaw found - Financial Express ~ Electronic Gadgets

Saturday, 22 February 2014

Apple Inc. iPhone security 'compromised' after major software flaw found - Financial Express

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Reuters | San Francisco | Updated: Feb 22 2014, 14:40 IST

Apple Inc. was recently stung by leaked intelligence documents claiming 100 pct success rate in breaking into iPhones.

SummaryThe flaw in Apple Inc. software for mobile devices could allow hackers to intercept email.

A major flaw in Apple Inc. software for mobile devices could allow hackers to intercept email and other communications that are meant to be encrypted, the company said in a Friday afternoon announcement.

If attackers have access to a user's network, such as by sharing the same unsecured wireless service offered by a restaurant, they could see or alter exchanges between the user and protected sites such as Gmail and Facebook, experts said.

"It's as bad as you could imagine, that's all I can say," said Johns Hopkins University cryptography professor Matthew Green.

Apple did not say when or how it learned about the flaw in the way Apple Inc.'s iOS handles sessions in what are known as secure sockets layer or transport layer security, nor did it say whether the flaw was being exploited.

But a statement on its support website was blunt: The software "failed to validate the authenticity of the connection."

Apple Inc. released software patches and an update for the current version of iOS for iPhone 4 and later, 5th-generation iPod touches, and iPad 2 and later.

Without the fix, a hacker could impersonate a protected site and sit in the middle as email or financial data goes between the user and the real site, Green said.

Apple Inc. did not reply to requests for comment. The flaw appears to be in the way that well-understood protocols were implemented, an embarrassing lapse for a company of Apple Inc.'s stature and technical prowess.

Apple Inc. was recently stung by leaked intelligence documents claiming that authorities had 100 percent success rate in breaking into iPhones.

Friday's announcement suggests that enterprising hackers could have had great success as well if they knew of the flaw.

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