Posted on January 8, 2018 at 3:54 PM
iPhone and iPad at Risk Thanks To Security Flaws
The tech manufacturing giant, Apple recently confirmed that several of their personal devices were at risk of being compromised by malicious attackers.
Apple recently released a statement which confirmed that all iOS and Mac devices were vulnerable to several new IT security bugs, but that no reported user has been actively impacted by a security bug yet.
The tech giant added that most security flaws could only become exploited after downloading a fraudulent app. To minimize any potential damage, Apple recommended that users only download apps from trusted and verified sources, such as the Apple App Store.
The two major security flaws, respectively known as Spectre and Meltdown have already caused a scrambling amongst tech and software companies to develop security upgrades that address the security flaws before malicious attackers exploit them.
The security flaws were recently discovered after security vulnerabilities were found on computer chips used in several of the world’s most prominent smartphones, tablets, and PCs. The security vulnerability would enable hackers to exploit the flaw in such a way that they could gain access to sensitive information stored on the device in question, such as banking login credentials, credit card details, and other sensitive information about the victim.
Despite the potentially damaging impact of the security flaws, so far, no users have reported of being affected by the security vulnerabilities.
Initially, researchers believed that the chips from the manufacturer, Intel, was to blame for the security vulnerability. Intel chips are used in around 90% of the world’s personal devices. However, after more investigation, researchers discovered that AMD and ARM chips also carried the same security risks.
Since this discovery, the Irish Data Protection Commission has announced that they intend to investigate the impact of a possible event when these security risks might become exploited.
The organization also stated that they’ve been contacted by Intel regarding the matter and that they were currently in the process of negotiating the best course of action with Intel.
However, the official office of Helen Dixon noted that the issue will reach far beyond the jurisdiction of the Irish regulator alone and that they’d be involved with several regulating agencies across the European Union. The office added that the Irish regulator will have to work closely together with their European counterparts in order to coordinate investigations as well as to establish a timeline for rectifying the issue.
However, several tech experts are still doubtful that this issue can be rectified at all, even if manufacturers and software companies manage to create security updates or patches. Especially, since the patches could perhaps affect the battery life or overall performance of the device in question.
Reports have circulated that there is a 30% risk of slowed device performance, however, Intel claims that this figure is inaccurate.
