1,500 IOS APPS ARE VULNERABLE TO A SECURITY THREAT

Apple’s operating systems are typically considered exceptionally safe and secure, but even Apple’s OS X and iOS aren’t invulnerable to attacks from hackers and serious bugs. Recently, security firm SourceDNA revealed that an HTTPS-crippling flaw can be exploited in around 1,500 iOS apps. Hackers who discover the vulnerability can gain access to sensitive information such as credit card numbers and encrypted passwords through the affected apps.

We found that the vast majority of apps in the top 100 free apps on the App Store are safe.

We searched through the most commonly downloaded apps in the App Store, and found that very few of the most popular free and paid apps are still affected by the bug. Regardless, it’s best to check if your apps are vulnerable and to learn how to protect yourself.

Here’s how hackers exploit the flaw

According to the security firm, around two million people have installed apps that suffer from the HTTPS-crippling vulnerability. The apps include Citrix OpenVoice Audio Conferencing, Alibaba’s mobile app, Movies by Flixster with Rotten Tomatoes, KYBankAgent 3.0, and Revo Restaurant Point of Sale, among others. The researchers are trying to keep the full list of apps under wraps so as to avoid opening iOS users up to more hackers who would use the vulnerability for nefarious purposes. However, on its website, SourceDNA offers a tool to developers so they can check if their apps are safe.

The researchers found that the vulnerability comes from a problem in an older version of an open-source code library called AFNetworking, which allows developers to add networking capabilities to their apps. AFNetworking fixed the issue about three weeks ago, and many developers have already updated their iOS apps to close the hole, but at least 1,500 iOS apps are still vulnerable. Among the companies that have already fixed the flaw are Yahoo, Uber, and Microsoft.

Source: Digital Trends