Skip to main content

Week 2 Blog: Apple's Recent Software Security Issues

Recently, my favorite tech company has been in the news for some very significant security gaps in their applications. Apple has long been branded as very secure software. Frequently, people will say they just don't get a virus. However, there was a security gap that impacted the Macs, which were using their latest software - High Sierra.
This vulnerability allowed root access to any machine running this software. Various sites such as "The Verge" indicate using root to access these machines allow elevated privileges on the machine. It could be used to change Apple ID emails as well as user passwords.
The gap presented a huge dent in Apple's reputation on security. Part of it was the way it was announced- the person who discovered the vulnerability publicly disclosed it on twitter. Interesting enough, Apple has a bug detection program in which they pay for any gaps in their software.
Even more recently, a new vulnerability was discovered in Apple's Home Kit. This vulnerability allowed unauthorized control of accessories connected to HomeKit. 9to5 Mac reports this particular gap has been reported to Apple and was partially fixed in previous iOS and WatchOS updates. Additionally, Apple is expecting to remediate the rest with the next update to iOS.
My big concern is Apple thoroughly testing their software for security vulnerabilities. While a lot of vulnerabilities won't be discovered in the initial development phase, given the significance and scope of these gaps, one would think they aren't testing for security. However, Apple's response to handling this situation has been adequate but they can't continue to have many of these incidents.

References:

Dillet, R. (2017, November 29). Apple releases a macOS security update to fix huge login security flaw. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/29/apple-releases-a-macos-security-update-to-fix-huge-login-security-flaw/

Coldewey, D. (2017, November 28). Huge security flaw lets anyone log into a High Sierra Mac. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/28/astonishing-os-x-bug-lets-anyone-log-into-a-high-sierra-machine/

Welch, C. (2017, November 28). Major Apple security flaw grants admin access on macOS High Sierra without password. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/28/16711782/apple-macos-high-sierra-critical-password-security-flaw


Hall, Z., & Zac Hall @apollozac Zac covers Apple news and product reviews for 9to5Mac and hosts the weekly 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast. (2017, December 07). Zero-day iOS HomeKit vulnerability allowed remote access to smart accessories including locks, fix rolling out. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://9to5mac.com/2017/12/07/homekit-vulnerability/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 6: Spectre and Meltdown Fallout Continues.

By this time, many of you have heard about the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities of which a lot of machines are susceptible. Most of the major parties involved have provided fixes through various patching means. However, there is still significant fallout due to this gap. Intel is now reporting their firmware patch is causing updates on some of the new chips they have produced. "Firmware updates were causing problems with Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge, Skylake and Kaby Lake." (Schwartz, 2018) This flaw is causing frequent reboots and instability in those chips. Additionally, Intel is behind in getting their firmware updates to the various vendors. Some of the major brands which are affected by these gaps are still feeling their way around this and trying to ensure they patch appropriately. It is likely we will see higher than normal OS updates for most folks when it comes to their computers, tablets, and smartphones. However, the big concern and part of the reason this g...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is leadership anyways?

Security Leadership is what precisely? I ask the question because it is a concept I am wrestling with at this time. What does it mean to be a security leader? Is it merely leading a security department as an information security manager or at the enterprise level as a chief information security officer or chief security officer? Is it influencing an organization's security posture without having an official title? Ultimately, leadership is about people. They said leadership is about getting people to work toward a common goal. The question is, are folks in those roles business leaders who are leading a technical portfolio, or are they technical leaders who enable the business to accomplish their goals? It is likely security leaders are both, and often need to be both. They're technical leaders and business leaders. However, they require different leadership skills to be successful. The additional factor is what is the senior leadership need from their senior security...
Post a Comment
Read more