iPhone zero-click Wi-Fi exploit is one of the most breathtaking hacks ever

Earlier this year, Apple patched one of the most breathtaking iPhone vulnerabilities ever: a memory corruption bug in the iOS kernel that gave attackers remote access to the entire device—over Wi-Fi, with no user interaction required at all. Oh, and exploits were wormable—meaning radio-proximity exploits could spread from one nearby device to another, once again, with no user interaction needed. This Wi-Fi packet of death exploit was devised by Ian Beer, a researcher at Project Zero, Google’s vulnerability research arm.

The iOS 14 Privacy and Security Features You Should Know

Below you can find the most important security and privacy features your iOS device now has that it didn’t have before. Make sure you check them as soon as you’ve got iOS 14 on your iPhone or iPad. Apps on iOS have to explicitly ask for your permission to use the camera and microphone, and from iOS 14 onwards, you’ll also see an indicator dot in the top right of the screen when these functions are being used.

Developer of Checkm8 explains why iDevice jailbreak exploit is a game changer

Often, when new iOS jailbreaks become public, the event is bittersweet. The exploit allowing people to bypass restrictions Apple puts into the mobile operating system allows hobbyists and researchers to customize their devices and gain valuable insights that may be peeking under the covers. That benefit is countered by the threat that the same jailbreak will give hackers a new way to install malware or unlock iPhones that are lost, stolen, or confiscated by unscrupulous authorities.

A new CSS-based web attack will crash and restart your iPhone

Sabri Haddouche tweeted a proof-of-concept webpage with just 15 lines of code which, if visited, will crash and restart an iPhone or iPad. Those on macOS may also see Safari freeze when opening the link. The code exploits a weakness in iOS’ web rendering engine WebKit, which Apple mandates all apps and browsers use,Haddouche told TechCrunch.

He explained that nesting a ton of elements — such astags — inside a backdrop filter property in CSS, you can use up all of the device’s resources and cause a kernel panic, which shuts down and restarts the operating system to prevent damage. TechCrunch tested the exploit running on the most recent mobile software iOS 11.4.1, and confirm it crashes and restarts the phone. Thomas Reed, director of Mac & Mobile at security firm Malwarebytes confirmed that the most recent iOS 12 beta also froze when tapping the link.

iOS 11.4 to come with 7-day USB shutout

Mobile forensics researchers recently discovered a major new security feature while poking around in the beta version of Apple’s upcoming iOS 11.4 release, due soon. It’s called USB Restricted Mode: a feature that popped up in the iOS 11.3 beta but didn’t make it to the final release. The feature snips the USB data connection over the Lightning port if the device hasn’t been unlocked for a week.

Startup Offers $3 Million to Anyone Who Can Hack the iPhone

The startup is called Crowdfense and is based in the United Arab Emirates. In an unusual move in the normally secretive industry of so-called zero-days, Crowdfense sent out a press release to reporters on Tuesday, advertising what it calls a bug bounty.

Source: vice.com

Someone Is Trying to Extort iPhone Crackers GrayShift With Leaked Code

Last week, an unknown party quietly leaked portions of GrayKey code onto the internet, and demanded over $15,000 from Grayshift—ironically, the price of an entry-level GrayKey—in order to stop publishing the material. The code itself does not appear to be particularly sensitive, but Grayshift confirmed to Motherboard the brief data leak that led to the extortion attempt.

Source: vice.com

iOS Sync Glitch Lets Attackers Control Devices

Researchers found a new iOS vulnerability called ‘trustjacking,’ which exploits a feature called iTunes Wi-Fi Sync to give attackers persistent control over victims’ devices.

Source: threatpost.com

The Cat-and-Mouse Game Between Apple and the Manufacturer of an iPhone Unlocking Tool

Former Apple security engineer Braden Thomas, who now works for a company called Grayshift, warned customers who had bought his GrayKey iPhone unlocking tool that iOS 11.3 would make it a bit harder for cops to get evidence and data out of seized iPhones. A change in the beta didn’t break GrayKey, but would require cops to use GrayKey on phones within a week of them being last unlocked.

Cops Around the Country Can Now Unlock iPhones, Records Show

A Motherboard investigation has found that law enforcement agencies across the country have purchased GrayKey, a relatively cheap tool for bypassing the encryption on iPhones, while the FBI pushes again for encryption backdoors.

Source: vice.com

State Department Seemingly Buys $15,000 iPhone Cracking Tech GrayKey

As the FBI pushes once again for backdoors in consumer encryption products, the State Department is apparently taking advantage of a $50 per iPhone unlocking product from Grayshift, a company with an ex-Apple engineer on its staff.

Source: vice.com