Apple says it’s already patched ‘many’ iOS vulnerabilities identified in WikiLeaks’ CIA dump

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Apple says it’s already patched ‘many’ iOS vulnerabilities identified in WikiLeaks’ CIA dump

 

 

Apple has issued a statement to say that it has already fixed major security flaws in its iOS software identified in last night’s WikiLeaks CIA document dump. The company said that the latest public version of iOS, released in January, has already patched “many” critical vulnerabilities that had been detailed in the files, while Apple engineers continue to work to fix others that were known to the CIA.

 

On Tuesday night, Wikileaks published 8,761 documents and files that it claims were obtained from the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence. In addition to vulnerabilities in Android and Samsung Smart TVs, the documents detail 14 iOS exploits, describing how these security holes could be used to track users, monitor their communications, or even take control of their phones.

 

“While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS,” the statement reads, “[Apple] will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities.” The company doesn’t specify exactly which of the 14 flaws have already been fixed, nor when it plans to roll out patches for vulnerabilities that persist, but it says that iOS users should keep up to date to get them as soon as possible.

 

“We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates,” Apple says.

 

Despite the dramatic nature of the WikiLeaks dump, this is hardly the first report of the CIA targeting Apple and other device makers as a technique for spying. Such practices are common among intelligence agencies, which look for security holes in consumer products as a means to conduct espionage.

 

One of the more high-profile examples came when the FBI reportedly purchased a software vulnerability in order to access the iPhone of a dead terrorist involved in last year's massacre at San Bernardino.