security - page 9

Famous jailbreaker says WikiLeaks CIA dump is overhyped

By

The CIA has been hoarding zero day exploits.
The CIA has been hoarding zero day exploits.
Photo: US Gov.

WikiLeak’s trove of CIA cyber documents is being hyped as one of the biggest leaks since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA. But according to one of the world’s top jailbreakers, you shouldn’t believe the hype.

Cyber security expert Will Strafach, who gained notoriety under the name Chronic for finding zero-day exploits used for jailbreaking, says iOS users don’t need to be worried.

This ugly case disguises iPhone prototypes in the wild

By

Apple is ultra-protective of prototype iPhones.
Apple is ultra-protective of prototype iPhones.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

It’s no secret that Apple loves to keep products secret, but thanks to a new leak we can now see the crazy lengths the company goes to just to keep prototype iPhones under wraps.

Notorious Apple leaker Sonny Dickson has put out some new images of an ugly iPhone case allegedly used by Apple to keep the iPhone 6s secret. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but there are a bunch of tiny details that help Apple keep features from leaking.

Popular iOS apps vulnerable to spilling your sensitive data

By

iPhone 7 front
Be wary when using Wi-Fi.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Dozens of popular iOS apps are vulnerable to spilling your sensitive data through silent “man-in-the-middle” attacks, according to a reliable mobile security expert.

During testing, Will Strafach, one of the first to hack open the iOS platform, found 76 apps that were guilty of accepting invalid certificates that could be used to intercept data.

Flashing the peace sign is now a security risk

By

fingerprints from selfies
Your fingerprints can now be snatched straight from your selfies.
Photo: Ryuta Ishimoto/Flickr CC

Next time someone poses for a selfie with their fingers held up in a peace sign, maybe tell them to leave it at a smile.

An ordinary photo of the universal sign of goodwill might be enough for a thief to copy a fingerprint, thanks to the high quality of digital photos these days. And since Touch ID and similar technologies turn fingerprints into keys that unlock our devices and the data we keep in them, that’s cause for concern.

Three security firms offered to hack iPhone for FBI

By

iPhone hack
100 pages of documents about the case were recently released.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Aside from the massive privacy questions it raised, one of the biggest questions coming out of the FBI’s 2016 standoff with Apple was how exactly it managed to hack the iPhone used in the San Bernardino shooting.

While we still don’t know for sure, 100 pages of documents released recently by the FBI as part of a lawsuit by three organizations sheds a bit of light on what happened.

Apple enlists security team to bolster CareKit encryption

By

Screen Shot 2017-01-11 at 14.04.27
CareKit is Apple's most recent dive into mobile healthcare.
Photo: Apple

Apple has partnered with security firm Tresorit to offer CareKit developers extra privacy options. In doing so, it makes it more straightforward for hospitals to use Apple’s CareKit platform, by allowing it to more closely meet regulations about patient data.

Called ZeroKit, Tresorit’s security technology includes user authentication for patients and healthcare workers, end-to-end encryption of health data, and “zero knowledge” sharing of health data, meaning that data isn’t shared with any service as it transfers.

Floodlight Cam combines all-in-one security with simple setup

By

Ring Floodlight Cam
Floodlight Cam does it all.
Photo: Ring

CES2017 Step up your home security with the new Ring Floodlight Cam.

Making its debut at CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, the Floodlight Cam keeps an eye on your property with 1080p video recording, motion detection and the loudest siren available on an outdoor camera. What’s more, it’s incredibly easy to install.

Europe rules U.K. ‘snooper’s charter’ is illegal

By

iPhone hack
It seems that European courts agree with Apple about government spying.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The European Union’s highest court has ruled that the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act, aka the “snooper’s charter,” is illegal.

The EU objects to the government’s “general and indiscriminate” retention of emails and other electronic communications. While the EU acknowledges that this information can be helpful, they argue that it should only be gathered in specific targeted instances to stop terrorism or serious crime.

iOS bug exposes photos and messages on locked iPhones

By

photos in ios 10
It's shockingly easy to get into someone's photos.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Hackers have discovered a new method to unlock photos and messages on any iPhone, thanks to an iOS security flaw that utilizes Siri and VoiceOver.

iPhones running iOS 8 software and newer are vulnerable to the flaw, which was discovered by EverythingApplePro and iDeviceHelp. The group revealed the hack in a new video that shows you don’t need any coding experience or special hardware to pull it off. All you need is a few minutes alone with a victims iPhone and some help from Siri.

Apple secretly logs iCloud users’ iPhone call history

By

Apple Security Jacket
Apple receives user call histories when iCloud is enabled, claims a new report.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple receives user call histories when iCloud is enabled, claims a new report from Russian digital forensics firm Elcomsoft.

The logs include information about calls made and received on an iOS device, along with phone numbers, dates, times, call duration, and even missed and bypassed calls — for both regular and FaceTime calls.

Hackers can use this tiny $5 device to attack your locked Mac

By

PoisonTap is tiny but deadly.
PoisonTap is tiny but deadly.
Photo: Samy Kamkar

The next time you leave your Mac unattended, make sure to turn it off.

A well-known hacker has created a cheap tool that can steal data off of locked computers in minutes. The clever new device called PoisonTap is created using a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero and some open source code. Attackers can plug PoisonTap into a machine and as long as the victim has a web browser open, it can steal data and leave remote backdoors.

Find My iPhone might soon work when your device is dead

By

iPhone 7 back
Apple is making it harder to steal iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac.

Recovering your lost iPhone may get a lot easier soon, based on a patent Apple was recently awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The new patent describes a method for determining an iPhone’s location after shutdown that would make Find My iPhone work even if a thief turns your device off.

Hackers can make $1.5 million jailbreaking iOS 10

By

iPhone 7
You can make big bucks hacking the iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith

Looking for a quick way to become a millionaire? Just try hacking the iPhone.

Software security firm Zerodium revealed today that it has raised the price of its permanent bounty on iOS zero-day exploits, giving hackers a chance to earn up to $1.5 million if their exploit meets all the requirements.

Touch ID could record prints to catch iPhone thieves

By

Touch ID
Sorry, crooks!
Photo: Apple

Everyone points and laughs when dimwitted thieves got caught after taking identifying selfies with stolen iPhones or iPads.

However, in its quest to help crack down on Apple-related crime, Apple may go even further by using its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to record the fingerprints of would-be iOS thieves — at least according to a newly-published patent application update.

Apple gives hackers a behind the scenes look at iOS security

By

iOS 10
Here's how Apple keeps iPhone data locked right.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple gave hackers an inside look at how it keeps iOS 10 secure during a recent Black Hat conference keynote that has now been made available to view online. 

The keynote by Apple security expert Ivan Krstic discusses three iOS security mechanisms (HomeKit, Auto Unlock and iCloud Keychain) in unprecedented detail, showing key elements of Apple’s cryptographic design. If you’ve ever been curious how Apple keeps all your private data safe, it’s well worth watching. 

Check it out below:

Apple is ready to pay hackers a big bounty for bugs

By

iOS 10
Apple needs help squashing bugs.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s head of security and engineering architecture, Ivan Kritic, revealed yesterday that the iPhone maker is finally creating a bug bounty program that will offer rewards of up to $200,000 to security researchers who find vulnerabilities on the company’s various software platforms.

The news came during a keynote at the annual Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas where Kritic also gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at iOS 10 security as part of Apple’s effort to become more open about its architecture in hopes of improving it.

Venmo flaw allowed attackers to use Siri to drain accounts

By

money
You might wanna check your account.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A critical flaw with PayPal-owned Venmo left iPhone users’ accounts exposed to a lethal account that could have allowed attackers to steal $2,999.99 in just two minutes.

The Venmo security flaw was discovered by Salesforce security engineer Martin Vigo who found that Siri can be used on locked iPhones to drain an account just by sending a few text messages.

Check out the hack in action: