All your passwords at risk with OS X and iOS, and Apple Sits on the Problem

2015-06-18 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: Apple, Apple macOS, iOS, passphrase, security

The internet is a dangerous place for financial transactions.

The way security flaws work is that the Bad Guys keep finding them and using them to steal. When a company like Apple fails to take immediate action to discuss the risks and to mitigate them, it is MPG’s view that it is exposes itself to massive liability. Apple’s apparent silence on this issue is scary.

The research paper: Unauthorized Cross-App Resource Access on MAC OS X and iOS.

The article in The Register: Apple CORED: Boffins reveal password-killer 0-days for iOS and OS X

Keychains raided, sandboxes busted, passwords p0wned, but Apple silent for six months.

Six university researchers have revealed deadly zero-day flaws in Apple's iOS and OS X, claiming it is possible to crack Apple's password-storing keychain, break app sandboxes, and bypass its App Store security checks.

Attackers can exploit these bugs to steal passwords from installed apps, including the native email client, without being detected.

The team was able to upload malware to Apple's app stores, and passed the vetting processes without triggering any alarms. That malware, when installed on a victim's Mac, raided the keychain to steal passwords for services including iCloud and the Mail app, and all those stored within Google Chrome.

Xing says he reported the flaws to Apple in October 2014.”.

Our study brings to light a series of unexpected, security-critical aws that can be exploited to circumvent Apple's isolation protection and its App Store's security vetting. The consequences of such attacks are devastating, leading to complete disclosure of the most sensitive user information (e.g., passwords) to a malicious app even when it is sandboxed.

...

"We completely cracked the keychain service - used to store passwords and other credentials for different Apple apps - and sandbox containers on OS X, and also identified new weaknesses within the inter-app communication mechanisms on OS X and iOS which can be used to steal confidential data from Evernote, Facebook and other high-profile apps."

MPG: Tim? Apple silence speaks volumes.