Apple Patches Bug that Allows Full Access to iMessage Data

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Bad  Mac bug lets  attackers gain access to message content s  and attachments

Apple has patched a serious vulnerability in iMessage that allows attackers to gain remote access to a victim’s messages and attachments. The attack is targeted at a vulnerability in Mac OS X iMessage client.

Researchers at Bishop Fox write on the company blog, “You don’t need a graduate degree in mathematics to exploit it, nor does it require advanced knowledge of memory management, shellcode, or ROP chains. All an attacker requires is a basic understanding of JavaScript.”

Any attacker can target a user’s device by sending a simple message with a URL. Once the user clicks on the link from the OS X iMessage client, the attacker gains access to otherwise-encrypted messages and attachments.


Even if the exploit is for the Mac OS X iMessage client, iMessage on iOS devices is not safe. If a user has enabled SMS forwarding from an iOS device, the attacker also gains access to messages exchanged with the victim’s iOS device.

04/12/2016

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