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Latest iOS 7 exploit could allow hackers to monitor everything you do

Published Feb 25th, 2014 12:25PM EST
iOS 7 Exploit Background Monitoring

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Apple’s lineup has been a hotbed of vulnerabilities lately. Just last week Apple was forced to release an update for the sole purpose of correcting an issue with SSL connection verification, and now the team of security experts at FireEye has found another exploit. According to the report, the team at FireEye was able “to bypass Apple’s app review process effectively and exploit non-jailbroken iOS 7 successfully.”

Although it has already been reported that jailbroken devices could be vulnerable to certain monitoring techniques, FireEye’s research indicates that the same vulnerability exists within non-jailbroken phones and tablets as well. If you end up installing an app that takes advantage of the exploit, the app could potentially record every screen tap and every button press you perform while running in the background.

The vulnerability appears to exist across several versions of iOS, including the most recent 7.0.6 update, so until Apple releases a fix, the only way to ensure your device isn’t being monitored is to close background apps as soon as you’re done with them.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.