Apple iOS 7, iPhone, iPad, iPad Air & iPod Touch Hack: Devices Are More "Hackable" Than Expected
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" some say. For the Apple company, there is a major security flaw on most of their Apple products, and its users are going to need more than a doctor; they might need to be "hacked proof."
ABC News reported that Apple admitted their products are vulnerable to attacks from hackers. The products that are subject to attacks are the iPhone 4 or later models, the iPod Touch, and the iPad 2, 3 and iPad Air.
The security flaw involves the authentication process which could allow hackers to completely bypass the usual steps of verification, that is assuming they are operating in the same space as you. In other words, the security flaw could allow users to be hacked through a Wi-Fi service in public places like Starbucks, the library or the train station.
The hackers could then pretend to be coming from a trusted remote end point, such as your favorite webmail. Once the user makes contact, the hacker could intercept any encrypted traffic between you and the destination server, as well give them the capability to modify your data.
The hackers also get access to your private and personal information such as, credit card information, Facebook messages, and emails, just to name a few.
According to The Christian Science Monitor, one technology expert called this breach "chaos." Another expert stated in an interview with Reuters that the Apple security flaw is as bad as you can imagine. The same security flaw could also be affecting iOS which in turn could affect computers running on OS X 10.9.0 and 10.9.1.
The problem could have been happening for weeks or even months. Apple would not comment on how or when they learned of the security flaws in its Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). The only Apple posted on its website was "Secure Transport failed to validate the authenticity of the connection."
While that "geek speak" solution might not sound helpful, there is hope. Apple released software patches and updates for its operating systems. As well as a "fix" in the form of iOS 7.0.6. The software update supports the defenses of your mobile device. They recommend that you access your tablet/smartphone media player and set it up to automatically download new Apple software.
Users can also navigate to Settings>General>Software Update, and tap the "download and install" bar at the bottom of the screen.
The Huffington Post reported that in order for the update to be smooth, you will have to delete some photos, videos, music or apps. After the update downloads to your device, it will turn off and turn back on, and it should be working.
Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent stated that consumers need to have up-to-date software on their iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.
"The reality today is that there are vulnerabilities," he said.