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The Biggest iPhone Security Risk Could Be Connecting One To a Computer
angry tapir (1463043) writes Apple has done well to insulate its iOS mobile operating system from many security issues, but a forthcoming demonstration shows it's far from perfect. Next Wednesday at the Usenix Security Symposium in San Diego, researchers with the Georgia Institute of Technology will show how iOS's Achilles' heel is exposed when devices are connected over USB to a computer or have Wi-Fi synching enabled. The beauty of their attack is that it doesn't rely on iOS software vulnerabilities, the customary way that hackers commandeer computers. It simply takes advantage of design issues in iOS, working around Apple's layered protections to accomplish a sinister goal.
Otherwise there is literally no secure mobile phone platform out there for the masses.
I feel like that's obvious... sort of like it's easier to assalt somone when they have their pants down.
Stopped reading at "Their attack requires the victim's computer to have malware installed".
If you create a trusted connection between your computer and your iPhone, it's a trusted connection. If you don't trust your computer, you shouldn't use it to make a trusted connection to other devices. It's really just that simple.
Which dumbphone brands have had published security vulnerabilities over the past half decade?
To my knowledge, to utilize an iOS device with developer provisioning profiles, you have to enable the device for development access via XCode.
Even with an ad-hoc distribution, the device must be listed in the provisioning profile with the exceptions being enterprise and app-store apps.
Did this attack vector circumvent these protections? Or, was he using iOS devices configured for development and, thus, not a real-world attack?
Not really ... how long does it take to exploit? Less than a minute. If you're not a target, well, then, okay. But this takes less than 30 seconds if you're worth targeting, or your computer being compromised by a botnet if you're not individually worth targeting. Decently prep'ed dongle and your phone is compromised in the time it takes the pickpocket to grab it, then catch up with you and say "excuse me, you dropped this".
if you connect you iDevice to a computer, unlock your device, and explicitly tell your device that the computer is trustworthy... The computer is able to install apps and interact with the filesystem on your device! Who would have thought?
I would say that Apple hasn't really done well in insulating iOS from security issues when almost every iOS release has been jailbroken at most within 4-5 months of each release of the mobile OS. Once Jailbroken, almost every aspect of iOS can be changed/configured and unsigned code can be executed.
For the love of God, it's iOS when talking about Apple devices. IOS is a Cisco OS. This really irks me for some reason when this mistake is made.
CVEdetails and the recent influx of Apple vulnerability articles would like to disagree.
Every software is exploitable, the only question is whether it is worth it in accord to the market percentage and what areas of business and technology it is utilized in.
Here I thought the biggest security threat was turning the device on.... Second to actually having the device on your person, followed by putting it on the charger.
If the device is totally discharged and not running, there is no threat beyond getting mugged for having it.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
This is one reason why charging-only cables or cable adapters which do not carry the "data lines" should be cheap and just as widely-available and widely-marketed as other USB cables.
Bonus points if they are transparent so the end user can visually verify that the only connected lines are the power and ground lines.
OBDIYHACK: http://www.instructables.com/i...
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
The IPhones biggest security threat is the US Federal Government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
My one is where people refer to Apple computers as MACs instead of Macs. Especially when they do that while writing about something to do with networking,
It simply takes advantage of design issues in iOS, working around Apple's layered protections to accomplish a sinister goal.
...Improving the ambidextrous use of the device?
You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
Your memory is faulty then.
Just like the "640K should be enough for everyone" statement that no one has proof for and Gates denies but that everyone quotes.
The beauty of their attack is that it doesn't rely on iOS software vulnerabilities, the customary way that hackers commandeer computers. It simply takes advantage of design issues in iOS
Then the design issue is a vulnerability, surely?
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Aaay, what's you problem, Mac? Your Mac's MAC mackin' on you network like a Mack truck?
I don't know about that. Suffices to design your platform with security in mind, and to make a few key OS components bug-free, and viruses will be impossible.
Then maybe Apple shouldn't have named their OS after a well established piece of network software.
The beauty of their attack is that it doesn't rely on iOS software vulnerabilities, the customary way that hackers commandeer computers. It simply takes advantage of design issues in iOS
Then the design issue is a vulnerability, surely?
Not really.
They're basically saying that, if (A) you've set up your phone to sync with your PC, and (B) your PC gets cracked/infected, then your phone can also be cracked/infected.
It's a vulnerability in the way that doing a series of stupid things in succession is always a vulnerability.
Cisco does not have a monopoly on the letters I, O, and S in sequence. Whee!
Can this be used to jailbreak iphones? That's all I care(d) about.
This line is pure bullsh*t. Time and time again, iOS is jail broken within hours or days of a release. Other OS (i.e QNX, Blackberry, SE Linux, ...) security focused mechanisms are done correctly. Apple has repeatedly dropped the ball in this regard.
This really irks me for some reason when this mistake is made.
Direct the blame at Apple, they have an ongoing habit of steamrolling existing trademarks whenever they release a new product ( some older than 20 years ).
Then buy a car of a different make that is less hostile to third-party radios or third-party oil changes.
Why are you capitalizing apple? It's a well established piece of fruit.
Then maybe Apple shouldn't have named their OS after a well established piece of network software.
Well established is not well known. Cisco IOS is only known in a niche. Members of the niche can deal with IOS v iOS. Well, except maybe the less stable angry little members of the niche.
int main() {
return 0;
}
exploit THAT.
HAHAHAHAH.
Its been done. Seriously, it has.
"It describes a backdoor mechanism based on the fact that people only review source (human-written) code, and not compiled machine code. A program called a compiler is used to create the second from the first, and the compiler is usually trusted to do an honest job.
Thompson's paper describes a modified version of the Unix C compiler that would:
Put an invisible backdoor in the Unix login command when it noticed that the login program was being compiled, and as a twist
Also add this feature undetectably to future compiler versions upon their compilation as well."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...
But all jailbreaks require a full reset of the device. No user data survives a jailbreak.
Actually, the term 'iOS' no matter how its cased, is used as a general term now for most any operating system in an appliance or phone. Yes, Cisco was the first to use it, but IBM was the first to use "PC", and dos used to stand for disk operating system before Microsoft and the Internet. Like it or not, it happens.
-- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
Anything can be jailbreaked if you have full physical access to the operating system and the hardware, Jesus.
It's not rocket surgery.
-- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!