The security researchers at Cisco claim that the flaw is related to how ImageIO processes called TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) files.
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A Cisco researcher has just found out that hackers can sneak into iOS or Mac devices, gaining control over the internal storage and passwords by using just a single image file. Any OS X update will show up here if you need to install the latest version, which is OS X is El Capitan 10.11.6.
The security experts also explained that the “vulnerability is potentially exploitable through methods that do not require explicit user interaction”.
The image files which place Mac and iOS users at risk are.tiff, often used in publishing, OpenEXR, Digital Asset Exchange file format XML files, and BMP images.
The Talos team was however able to however create a proof of concept to exploit the vulnerability through images rendered in Safari on OS X.
This security flaw is being compared to Stagefright, a serious text message-based exploit for Android device users.
Photos now displays your holiday snaps on an interactive map, automatically edits your photos into short montages with titles and music, and finally brings facial recognition to your iPhone and iPad so you can search your collection for specific people.
Now, the greatest perk involved is not only releasing a panacea for exterminating this bug but also how speedily Apple made a decision to permanently take care of that issue. Apple has however already released software updates for both iOS and Mac OS X that address these vulnerabilities.
As there are more than 690 million active iOS devices, this could mean nearly 100 million iPhones, iPads and iPods running Apple’s mobile operating system are vulnerable to the hack.
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The iOS 9.3.3 is security update that not only protects Apple users from hacker threats. Numerous updates came out after, including iOS 9.3.3, to prevent jailbreak tools from being developed. Since Apple has its own application store, it has an edge in detecting many vulnerabilities unlike Android which has many third parties.
