Your iPhone can be HACKED just by receiving a text – how to stay safe
TEXT TROUBLE Your iPhone can be HACKED just by receiving
a text – how to stay safe
Harry Pettit, Senior Digital Technology and Science
Reporter
31 Jul 2019, 10:19Updated: 31 Jul 2019, 10:52
SIX iPhone security flaws have been found by Google
researchers – and Apple still hasn't fixed one of them.
The holes in Apple's iOS software allow hackers access
your phone simply by sending you a malware-ridden iMessage. Apple has now fixed
five of them
The find flies in the face of recent suggestions by Apple
that it's the company to turn to if you care about privacy and security.
Research was carried out by a team at Project Zero, Google's
security research group that tracks down so-called "zero day"
vulnerabilities.
These bugs are named as such because whoever's in charge
of the software has "zero days" to find a solution.
They're a valuable tool for hackers and are constantly
being hoarded by cyber criminals and intelligence agencies, while others
attempt to find and fix them.
Of the six flaws found by the team, Apple has now patched
five. To protect yourself, simply update to the latest version of iOS.
Four of the six – including the one not yet patched by
Apple – allow a hacker to break into your phone by sending you an iMessage
filled with malicious code.
All you need to do is open the message and the cyber
crook has remote access to your iPhone.
From here, they can copy files like your photos, messages
and possibly your bank details – or even crash your phone, wiping everything on
it.
Other flaws found by Google allowed hackers to break into
your iPad or Mac computer using similar methods.
Details of the five flaws now patched by Apple have been
published online by Project Zero.
The sixth vulnerability has been kept a secret in order
to stop hackers from using it.
Apple urged users to update their iPhones to iOS 12.4,
the latest version of its software, to fix the five patched bugs.
Apple has previously stated that keeping your software up
to date is "one of the most important things you can do to maintain your
Apple product's security."
As for the sixth flaw, The Sun understands that Apple is
currently investigating a fix. There's no word yet on when that might become
available.
Apple has made a point over the past 18 months to tout
its commitment to user security, with boss Tim Cook declaring in January that
privacy is a "fundamental human right".
It has become a key part of Apple's advertising campaigns
as tech titans like Facebook and Google find themselves under intense scrutiny
for their lapse attitude to user data.
At this year's CES conference, where most of the world's
biggest tech firms were in attendance, Apple took a sly dig at its rivals with
a huge billboard.
It read: "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your
iPhone."
For the most part, Apple has stuck to its guns, but in
recent months the firm has been hit by a number of privacy slip ups.
Last week, the firm scrambled to fix a flaw that made it
possible to spy on iPhone owners using the Apple Watch's Walkie Talkie app.
Earlier this month, a flaw found by researchers let
anyone turn your Apple Mac webcam on remotely and spy on you using the Zoom
video chat app.
Zoom eventually fixed the vulnerability with an emergency
patch after initially dismissing it as "low risk".
In other iPhone news, we recently revealed how to stop
pranksters sending texts from your phone through its lock screen.
A spy firm recently warned of a new £60 hacking tool that
can unlock any iPhone or iPad in seconds.
We've put together a list of iPhone tips and tricks to
help you get the most out of your mobile.
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