This vulnerability looks scary, but it is actually quite scary. It’s no wonder that it wasn’t until Apple released patching updates in recent months that security experts officially disclosed this old WebKit vulnerability—it’s said to be really, really old, but it hasn’t been exploited by anyone who is interested, so there has been no reported disaster (should be). Security expert Ryan Pickren recently revealed that cameras on Apple devices, including iOS and macOS, may be stolen due to a Safari vulnerability. Fortunately, the Safari stealing vulnerability in iPhone and Mac cameras has been patched by Apple. So the key point is, remember to update, remember to update, remember to update (it’s very important, so I say it three times).
Safari skimming vulnerability in iPhone and Mac cameras has been patched by Apple
According to Ryan Pickren, this vulnerability will allow an interested person to obtain the same camera and microphone system permissions as those of applications such as Skype through the WebKit of the Apple system browser. An interested party can simply use a phishing URL containing malicious scripts to gain permission to capture sounds and images without the user’s knowledge – presumably for blackmail and other purposes.
▲Image source: Apple
It is said that after this old vulnerability was discovered in December last year, it was quickly corrected in Apple device updates in January and March this year. Therefore, I believe that as long as users do not perform security updates for too long, there should be little need to worry.
▲Image source: Logitech
That is to say, due to the situation of WFH working from home, everyone should also conduct video conferences quite often. I believe everyone knows that if the computer starts video recording, there will usually be a notification light next to the lens. If you are still worried about similar problems, you can also consider using paper tape to seal it when not in use. But in a word, it is best not to leave security updates alone. It is the safest way to update and match the hardware “seal”.
Further reading:
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Source: KOCPC Chinese