The iOS and macOS vulnerabilities revealed by the latest WikiLeaks data dump of CIA hacking tools have already been fixed.
Apple says that an early evaluation of the info released by WikiLeaks hasn’t found any new bugs or attacks that can be used on iPhone or Mac users. Some of the exploits contained in the leaks were able to grant access to an iPhone’s call logs and SMS conversations, but only if the CIA had physical access to the device.
Old iOS Exploits
In a statement released to TechCrunch, Apple explained that most of the loopholes used by the CIA have been closed for years:
“We have preliminarily assessed the Wikileaks disclosures from this morning. Based on our initial analysis, the alleged iPhone vulnerability affected iPhone 3G only and was fixed in 2009 when iPhone 3GS was released. Additionally, our preliminary assessment shows the alleged Mac vulnerabilities were previously fixed in all Macs launched after 2013.
We have not negotiated with Wikileaks for any information. We have given them instructions to submit any information they wish through our normal process under our standard terms. Thus far, we have not received any information from them that isn’t in the public domain. We are tireless defenders of our users’ security and privacy, but we do not condone theft or coordinate with those that threaten to harm our users.
WikiLeaks has released two batches of data over the last month called the Vault 7 Series. Most of the leaks contain information on how the CIA approaches hacking for smartphones, smart TVs and even cars.
The latest addition to the Vault 7 exposed hardware and software tools used to hack Mac and iOS devices. The dump includes user guides and manuals on how each attack is executed, but security experts say most of the information released isn’t a threat to iPhone and Mac users, as long as you have the most recent software.
