{"id":336654,"date":"2017-03-24T09:27:19","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T01:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1468451"},"modified":"2017-03-24T09:27:19","modified_gmt":"2017-03-24T01:27:19","slug":"apple-says-recent-wikileaks-cia-docs-detail-old-fixed-iphone-and-mac-exploits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/apple-says-recent-wikileaks-cia-docs-detail-old-fixed-iphone-and-mac-exploits\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple says recent Wikileaks CIA docs detail old, fixed iPhone and Mac exploits"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Apple says that its preliminary assessments of the Wikileaks documents released today indicate that the vulnerabilities it details for iPhone and Mac were fixed years ago. The documents, which originated with the CIA, detailed a variety of methods for compromising<\/a> \u2014 breaking into \u2014 Apple devices if an agent was able to gain physical access to the device.<\/p>\n

The leaks were a part of the \u2018Vault7\u2032 documents<\/a>, which Wikileaks has been dribbling out. Some of the exploits, like NightSkies, could access personal info like call logs and SMS conversations \u2014 but only with physical access.<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s full statement is as follows<\/p>\n

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We have preliminarily assessed the Wikileaks disclosures from this morning. Based on our initial analysis, the alleged iPhone vulnerability affected iPhone 3G only and was fixed in 2009 when iPhone 3GS was released. Additionally, our preliminary assessment shows the alleged Mac vulnerabilities were previously fixed in all Macs launched after 2013.<\/p>\n

We have not negotiated with Wikileaks for any information. We have given them instructions to submit any information they wish through our normal process under our standard terms. Thus far, we have not received any information from them that isn\u2019t in the public domain. We are tireless defenders of our users\u2019 security and privacy, but we do not condone theft or coordinate with those that threaten to harm our users.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As any security expert will tell you, once you gain physical access to a device, nearly all bets are off. Remote intrusion is a much more real and dangerous threat to the security of either end users or company-wide systems. Basically if you have the device in hand and all the time in the world it\u2019s just a matter of plugging away.<\/p>\n

That said, Apple\u2019s devices have been engineered to be particularly resilient to even in-person attacks. Which is why the CIA docs garnered attention by the press and users today.<\/p>\n

To wrap \u2014 these appear to be older exploits but government agencies are always seeking new vectors and likely have new methods\u00a0in place already that Apple is or will be patching out as soon as they are disclosed\u00a0by researchers or disclosed by legal discovery.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a few solid tips courtesy of our own Romain Dillet earlier today<\/a>:<\/p>\n