Technology

Multiple Passcode Bypass Vulnerabilities Discovered in iOS 9

Threat: Multiple Passcode Bypass Vulnerabilities Discovered in iOS 9
Solution: Disable the Siri module and Events Calendar without passcode, along with the public Control Panel with the timer and world clock. Users should also activate the weather app to prevent the redirect.
URL: http://www.securityweek.com/multiple-passcode-bypass-vulnerabilities-discovered-ios-9

This is a pretty big vulnerability that requires very little technical knowledge to exploit. The last vulnerability of this type I remember only allowed access to pictures and contacts.

I also wonder if the FBI could could explot this to unlock the iPhone they want from Syed Farook and the few hundred ones they have from other suspects for lesser crimes.

In addition as I look at the steps needed to completely disable this exploit, I hope Apple pushes out a security update soon. I can’t imagine many users actually taking the steps to disable everything necessary to protect against this.

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DROWN attack places more than 11 million websites at risk.

drown-attack-openssl-vulnerabilityThreat: DROWN attack places more than 11 million websites at risk.

Solution: OpenSSL 1.0.2 users should upgrade to OpenSSL 1.0.2g and OpenSSL 1.0.1 should upgrade to OpenSSL 1.0.1s. If you are using another version of OpenSSL, you should move to the newer versions.
You should also ensure SSLv2 is disabled, as well as make sure that the private key isn’t shared across any other servers.

URL: http://thehackernews.com/2016/03/drown-attack-openssl-vulnerability.html

The DROWN attack targets servers that might not use SSL2 but still support it. Often this is done to support other servers that use it such as SMTP, IMAP, and POP mail servers. A DROWN attack could allow an attacker to decrypt HTTPS connections by sending specially crafted packets to a server or if the certificate is shared on another server, potentially performing a successful Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack.

You can find out if your website is vulnerable to this critical security hole using the DROWN attack test site.

Like many of these attacks, the fix is already out there. Server admins need to perform updates immediately to protect against attacks. In addition confirming all servers that use the same certificates are updated is important as this attack can compromise one server and be used on a “secure” server that uses the same certificate.

DROWN attack places more than 11 million websites at risk. Read Post »

Pirated App Store client for iOS found on Apple’s App Store

ZergHelper-interfacesThreat: Pirated App Store client for iOS found on Apple’s App Store
Solution: Do not install software from unapproved third party app stores as the applications are riskware and some of the applications installed may contain malware.

URL: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2016/02/22/pirated-app-store-client-ios-found-apples-app-store/

An app called “Happy Daily English” available in the Appale App Store has been revealed to be a fully functional third party app store client. This new discovery shows some techniques that can be used to fool app reviewers and the programing language also allowed the application to be updated without approval from Apple.

The app developer also analyzed Apple’s proprietary protocols to implement some functionalities of Apple’s Xcode IDE to automatically generate free personal development certificates. So far the application hasn’t stolen any account information but has used it for analytical purposes. I recommend avoiding cracked software app stores as they are both illegal and often introduce vulnerabilities.

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My top two web filters

I was doing a project for my Network Security class last night and I thought I would share some of the results from my review of different web filter products. Many of us might be in the market for a web filter. The reasons might not just be for content filtering, they can also be used as a highly effective tool for blocking malware transmission and hoax/malicious websites. Each of the products I am about to share can perform theses tasks.

opendns1. OpenDNS by Cisco
OpenDNS takes a DNS approach to web filtering and can be enabled on the client and/or the network router. The home use tier offer three options for products. The first is a set and forget “Family Shield”. The second is a “Home” version that allows some customized filtering and identity theft protection. The third “VIP” option costs $20 a year and has usage stats and other useful settings.

k92. K9 Web Protection by Blue Coat
K9 takes a software based approach to web filtering. It’s available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. K9 uses Blue Coat’s unique caching technology, so your Internet experience is always as fast as possible. I have generally found software based solutions slow in the past but K9 seems to do better at this than most others.

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