Apple announced on Friday that it had discovered a major security flaw in iOS that allowed hackers to read email and other forms of communication that were supposed to be encrypted. If hackers had access to a Wi-Fi network used by an iPhone, they could have read emails and messages sent from the iPhone user to protected sites like Gmail and Facebook.
The Cupertino based firm would not say if the flaw had been exploited, but did note that the problem dealt with the way that iOS handled secure sockets layer verification. On Apple's support website, the tech titan wrote that "the software failed to validate the authenticity of the connection".
Apple closed the exploit with iOS 7.0.6, which was sent out on Friday with software patches for the Apple iPhone 4 and later, Fifth-generation Apple iPod touch, and the Apple iPad 2 and later. Apple also updated its older Apple iPhone 3GSand fourth-generation Apple iPod touch to iOS 6.1.6. Without the patch, a hacker could pretend to be a protected site, scooping up emails and financial data as it goes from the user's iDevice to a protected site. Apple suggests using a Wi-Fi connection to download and install the update, which ranges in size from 16MB to 35MB.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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