We know using 'iMessages' is the safest and probably the only way to keep our conversations private on an iPhone. Well, it turns out that isn't the case always. Hackers have been looking for ways to peep into iMessages for long. And the presence of 'Interaction-less bugs' in the Apple's iMessage Client, encourages them even more.
While Apple had released patches for the bug, another roadblock comes in the form of an additional security feature named BlastDoor.
Why was BlastDoor required?
According to researchers, Apple has added the BlastDoor security feature across its range of operating systems to counter hacking attempts into Apple devices that use iMessages.A study by reuters shows that UAE exploited the bugs in the iMessage client to spy on the iPhones of big diplomats, forgein leaders and activists in 2016 and 2017. A team of the US government intelligence worked for the UAE to help them keep an eye on the rivals. They used a spying tool called 'Karma' that exploited a flaw in the iMessage system. This tool allowed them to obtain photos, emails, texts, location, passwords, and more without having the end-user to even click on anything. The use of a similar tool to target journalists at Al Jazeera was reported last year, despite the claims that security updates have deemed 'Karma' less effective.
Apple's BlastDoor security feature comes during the time when there is a strong need of averting such attacks
How does Blastdoor help achieve information security?
BlastDoor remains invisible to users. This security feature is an integral part of iOS14-Apple's latest version of its Operating System, and was discovered by SamuelGrob of Google's Project Zero. Although all apps on iOS work in sandbox mode by default, BlastDoor acts like an extra layer of protection to it.
The basic function of BlastDoor is to scan incoming messages, process them inside a secure and isolated environment so that any embedded malicious code cannot interact with the rest of the system.
The final word
Message has been the target of several hackers over recent times. Moreover, security researchers had criticized Apple's incompetence in handling data threats from interaction-less threats. But with the integration of the new 'BlastDoor' security feature, we can say Apple has finally decided to act upon the feedback from its users