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Apple on Wednesday rolled out security patches to address a new zero-day flaw in iOS and iPadOS that it said has come under active exploitation in the wild. Tracked as  CVE-2023-42824 , the kernel vulnerability could be abused by a local attacker to elevate their privileges. The iPhone maker said it addressed the problem with improved checks. "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.6," the company  noted  in a terse advisory. While additional details about the nature of the attacks and the identity of the threat actors perpetrating them are currently unknown, successful exploitation likely hinges on an attacker already obtaining an initial foothold by some other means. Apple's latest update also resolves  CVE-2023-5217  impacting the WebRTC component, which Google last week described as a heap-based buffer overflow in the VP8 compression format in libvpx. The patches, iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 1

Apple has released yet another round of security patches to address three actively exploited zero-day flaws impacting iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and Safari, taking the total tally of zero-day bugs discovered in its software this year to 16. The list of security vulnerabilities is as follows - CVE-2023-41991  - A certificate validation issue in the Security framework that could allow a malicious app to bypass signature validation. CVE-2023-41992  - A security flaw in Kernel that could allow a local attacker to elevate their privileges. CVE-2023-41993  - A WebKit flaw that could result in arbitrary code execution when processing specially crafted web content. Apple did not provide additional specifics barring an acknowledgement that the "issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.7." The updates are available for the following devices and operating systems - iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7  - iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iP

Google on Monday rolled out out-of-band security patches to address a critical security flaw in its Chrome web browser that it said has been exploited in the wild. Tracked as  CVE-2023-4863 , the issue has been described as a case of  heap buffer overflow  that resides in the  WebP image format  that could result in arbitrary code execution or a crash. Apple Security Engineering and Architecture (SEAR) and the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk School have been credited with discovering and reporting the flaw on September 6, 2023. The tech giant has yet to disclose additional details about the nature of the attacks, but noted that it's "aware that an exploit for CVE-2023-4863 exists in the wild." With the latest fix, Google has addressed a total of four zero-day vulnerabilities in Chrome since the start of the year - CVE-2023-2033  (CVSS score: 8.8) - Type Confusion in V8 CVE-2023-2136  (CVSS score: 9.6) - Integer overflow in Skia CVE-2023-3079

Apple on Thursday released emergency security updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS to address two zero-day flaws that have been exploited in the wild to deliver NSO Group's Pegasus mercenary spyware. The issues are described as below - CVE-2023-41061  - A validation issue in Wallet that could result in arbitrary code execution when handling a maliciously crafted attachment. CVE-2023-41064  - A buffer overflow issue in the  Image I/O component  that could result in arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted image. While CVE-2023-41064 was found by the Citizen Lab at the University of Torontoʼs Munk School, CVE-2023-41061 was discovered internally by Apple, with "assistance" from the Citizen Lab. The updates are available for the following devices and operating systems - iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1  - iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generati

Apple has announced plans to require developers to submit reasons to use certain APIs in their apps starting later this year with the release of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10 to prevent their abuse for data collection. "This will help ensure that apps only use these APIs for their intended purpose," the company  said  in a statement. "As part of this process, you'll need to select one or more approved reasons that accurately reflect how your app uses the API, and your app can only use the API for the reasons you've selected." The APIs that  require  reasons for use relate to the following - File timestamp APIs System boot time APIs Disk space APIs Active keyboard APIs, and User defaults APIs The iPhone maker said it's making the move to ensure that such APIs are not abused by app developers to collect device signals to carry out  fingerprinting , which could be employed to  uniquely identify users  across different a

Apple has  rolled out security updates  to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Safari to address several security vulnerabilities, including one actively exploited zero-day bug in the wild. Tracked as  CVE-2023-38606 , the shortcoming resides in the kernel and permits a malicious app to modify sensitive kernel state potentially. The company said it was addressed with improved state management. "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7.1," the tech giant noted in its advisory. It's worth noting that CVE-2023-38606 is the fourth security vulnerability discovered in connection with  Operation Triangulation , a sophisticated mobile cyber espionage campaign targeting iOS devices since 2019 using a zero-click exploit chain. The other two zero-days,  CVE-2023-32434 and CVE-2023-32435 , were patched by Apple last month. A third shortcoming, CVE-2022-46690 , was addressed as part of securi

Apple has warned that it would rather stop offering iMessage and FaceTime services in the U.K. than bowing down to government pressure in response to new proposals that seek to expand digital surveillance powers available to state intelligence agencies. The development, first  reported  by BBC News, makes the iPhone maker the latest to join the chorus of voices protesting against forthcoming legislative changes to the  Investigatory Powers Act  ( IPA ) 2016 in a manner that would effectively render encryption protections ineffective. Specifically, the  Online Safety Bill  requires companies to install technology to scan for child sex exploitation and abuse (CSEA) material and terrorism content in encrypted messaging apps and other services. It also mandates that messaging services clear security features with the Home Office before releasing them and take immediate action to disable them if required without informing the public. While the fact does not explicitly call out for the r

Apple has released  Rapid Security Response  updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Safari web browser to  address  a zero-day flaw that it said has been actively exploited in the wild. The WebKit bug, cataloged as  CVE-2023-37450 , could allow threat actors to achieve arbitrary code execution when processing specially crafted web content. The iPhone maker said it addressed the issue with improved checks. Credited with discovering and reporting the flaw is an anonymous researcher. As with most cases like this, there are scant details about the nature and the scale of the attacks and the identity of the threat actor behind them. But Apple noted in a terse advisory that it's "aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited." The updates, iOS 16.5.1 (a), iPadOS 16.5.1 (a), macOS Ventura 13.4.1 (a), and Safari 16.5.2, are available for devices running the following operating system versions: iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1 macOS Ventura 13.4.1 macOS Big

Researchers have pulled back the curtain on an updated version of an Apple macOS malware called RustBucket that comes with improved capabilities to establish persistence and avoid detection by security software. "This variant of RustBucket, a malware family that targets macOS systems, adds persistence capabilities not previously observed," Elastic Security Labs researchers  said  in a report published this week, adding it's "leveraging a dynamic network infrastructure methodology for command-and-control." RustBucket is the work of a North Korean threat actor known as BlueNoroff, which is part of a larger intrusion set tracked under the name  Lazarus Group , an elite hacking unit supervised by the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), the country's primary intelligence agency. The malware came to light in April 2023, when Jamf Threat Labs  described  it as an AppleScript-based backdoor capable of retrieving a second-stage payload from a remote server. Elas

Apple on Wednesday released a  slew of updates  for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and Safari browser to address a set of flaws it said were actively exploited in the wild. This includes a pair of zero-days that have been weaponized in a mobile surveillance campaign called  Operation Triangulation  that has been active since 2019. The exact threat actor behind the activity is not known. CVE-2023-32434  - An integer overflow vulnerability in the Kernel that could be exploited by a malicious app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. CVE-2023-32435  - A memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit that could lead to arbitrary code execution when processing specially crafted web content. The iPhone maker said it's aware that the two issues "may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.7," crediting Kaspersky researchers Georgy Kucherin, Leonid Bezvershenko, and Boris Larin for reporting them. The advisory comes as the Russia

Apple on Thursday  rolled out security updates  to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and the Safari web browser to address dozens of flaws, including three new zero-days that it said are being actively exploited in the wild. The three security shortcomings are listed below - CVE-2023-32409  - A WebKit flaw that could be exploited by a malicious actor to break out of the Web Content sandbox. It was addressed with improved bounds checks. CVE-2023-28204  - An out-of-bounds read issue in WebKit that could be abused to disclose sensitive information when processing web content. It was addressed with improved input validation. CVE-2023-32373  - A use-after free bug in WebKit that could lead to arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. It was addressed with improved memory management. The iPhone maker credited Clément Lecigne of Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) and Donncha Ó Cearbhaill of Amnesty International's Security Lab for reporting C

Apple has announced that it prevented over $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions and rejected roughly 1.7 million app submissions for privacy and security violations in 2022. The computing giant said it terminated 428,000 developer accounts for potential fraudulent activity, blocked 105,000 fake developer account creations, and deactivated 282 million bogus customer accounts. It further noted that it thwarted 198 million attempted fraudulent new accounts prior to their creation. In contrast, Apple is estimated to have booted out 802,000 developer accounts in 2021. The company attributed the decline to new App Store "methods and protocols" that prevent the creation of such accounts in the first place. "In 2022, Apple protected users from nearly 57,000 untrustworthy apps from illegitimate storefronts," the company  emphasized . "These unauthorized marketplaces distribute harmful software that can imitate popular apps or alter them without the cons

Apple and Google have  teamed up  to work on a  draft industry-wide specification  that's designed to tackle safety risks and alert users when they are being tracked without their knowledge or permission using devices like AirTags. "The first-of-its-kind specification will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorized tracking detection and alerts across Android and iOS platforms," the companies said in a joint statement. While these trackers are primarily designed to keep tabs on personal belongings like keys, wallets, luggage, and other items, such devices have also been abused by bad actors for  criminal or nefarious purposes , including instances of  stalking, harassment, and theft . The goal is to standardize the alerting mechanisms and minimize opportunities for misuse across Bluetooth location-tracking devices from different vendors. To that end, Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have all come on board. In doi

Threat actors are advertising a new information stealer for the Apple macOS operating system called  Atomic macOS Stealer  (or AMOS) on Telegram for $1,000 per month, joining the likes of  MacStealer . "The Atomic macOS Stealer can steal various types of information from the victim's machine, including Keychain passwords, complete system information, files from the desktop and documents folder, and even the macOS password," Cyble researchers  said  in a technical report. Among other features include its ability to extract data from web browsers and cryptocurrency wallets like Atomic, Binance, Coinomi, Electrum, and Exodus. Threat actors who purchase the stealer from its developers are also provided a ready-to-use web panel for managing the victims. The malware takes the form of an unsigned disk image file (Setup.dmg) that, when executed, urges the victim to enter their system password on a bogus prompt to escalate privileges and carry out its malicious activities --

Threat actors behind the LockBit ransomware operation have developed new artifacts that can encrypt files on devices running Apple's macOS operating system. The development, which was  reported  by the MalwareHunterTeam over the weekend, appears to be the first time a big-game ransomware crew has created a macOS-based payload. Additional samples identified by  vx-underground  show that the macOS variant has been available since November 11, 2022, and has managed to evade detection by anti-malware engines until now. LockBit is a  prolific cybercrime crew  with ties to Russia that has been active since late 2019, with the threat actors releasing two major updates to the locker in 2021 and 2022. According to statistics  released by Malwarebytes  last week, LockBit emerged as the second most used ransomware in March 2023 after Cl0p, accounting for 93 successful attacks. An analysis of the new macOS version ("locker_Apple_M1_64") reveals that it's still a work in pr

Apple on Friday released security updates for  iOS, iPadOS ,  macOS , and  Safari web browser  to address a pair of zero-day flaws that are being exploited in the wild. The two vulnerabilities are as follows - CVE-2023-28205  - A  use after free issue  in WebKit that could lead to arbitrary code execution when processing specially crafted web content. CVE-2023-28206  - An  out-of-bounds write issue  in IOSurfaceAccelerator that could enable an app to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Apple said it addressed CVE-2023-28205 with improved memory management and the second with better input validation, adding it's aware the bugs "may have been actively exploited." Credited with discovering and reporting the flaws are Clément Lecigne of Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) and Donncha Ó Cearbhaill of Amnesty International's Security Lab. Details about the two vulnerabilities have been withheld in light of active exploitation and to prevent more

Apple on Monday backported fixes for an actively exploited security flaw to older iPhone and iPad models. The issue, tracked as  CVE-2023-23529 , concerns a type confusion bug in the WebKit browser engine that could lead to arbitrary code execution. It was  originally addressed  by the tech giant with improved checks as part of updates released on February 13, 2023. An anonymous researcher has been credited with reporting the bug. "Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution," Apple  said  in a new advisory, adding it's "aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited." Details surrounding the exact nature of exploitation are currently not known, but withholding technical specifics is standard procedure as it helps prevent additional in-the-wild abuse targeting susceptible devices.  The update is available in versions iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4 for iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPho

Apple has revised the  security advisories  it released last month to include three new vulnerabilities impacting  iOS, iPadOS , and  macOS . The first flaw is a  race condition  in the Crash Reporter component (CVE-2023-23520) that could enable a malicious actor to read arbitrary files as root. The iPhone maker said it addressed the issue with additional validation. The two other vulnerabilities, credited to Trellix researcher Austin Emmitt, reside in the  Foundation framework  (CVE-2023-23530 and CVE-2023-23531) and could be weaponized to achieve code execution. "An app may be able to execute arbitrary code out of its sandbox or with certain elevated privileges," Apple said, adding it patched the issues with "improved memory handling." The medium to high-severity vulnerabilities have been patched in iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS Ventura 13.2 that were shipped on January 23, 2023. Trellix, in its own report on Tuesday,  classified  the two flaws as a &qu

Apple on Monday rolled out security updates for  iOS, iPadOS ,  macOS , and  Safari  to address a zero-day flaw that it said has been actively exploited in the wild. Tracked as  CVE-2023-23529 , the issue relates to a type confusion bug in the WebKit browser engine that could be activated when processing maliciously crafted web content, culminating in arbitrary code execution. The iPhone maker said the bug was addressed with improved checks, adding it's "aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited." An anonymous researcher has been credited with reporting the flaw. It's not immediately clear as to how the vulnerability is being exploited in real-world attacks, but it's the second actively abused type confusion flaw in WebKit to be patched by Apple after  CVE-2022-42856  in as many months, which was closed in December 2022.  WebKit flaws are also notable for the fact that they impact every third-party web browser that's available fo

Apple has backported fixes for a recently disclosed critical security flaw affecting older devices, citing evidence of active exploitation. The issue, tracked as  CVE-2022-42856 , is a type confusion vulnerability in the WebKit browser engine that could result in arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. While it was originally addressed by the company on November 30, 2022, as part of iOS 16.1.2 update, the patch was subsequently expanded to a broader set of Apple devices with iOS 15.7.2, iPadOS 15.7.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, tvOS 16.2, and Safari 16.2. "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS released before iOS 15.1," the iPhone maker  said  in an advisory published Monday. To that end, the latest update, iOS 12.5.7, is available for iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation). Clément Lecigne of Google's Threat Anal