In-App Purchase Vulnerability to Be Fixed in iOS 6; Apple Offers Best Practices to Developers

As noticed by 9to5Mac, Apple has offered developers a series of best practices to prevent the In-App Purchase vulnerability, as well as promising a full fix in iOS 6. The advisement was sent to developers in an email today.

NewImage
CNET was issued this statement by Apple:

"We recommend developers follow best practices at developer.apple.com to help ensure they are not vulnerable to fraudulent In-App purchases," Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr told CNET. "This will also be addressed with iOS 6."

Apple issued this note to developers on the iOS Developer webpage, along with a series of suggestions to help verify that in-app purchases are legitimate:

A vulnerability has been discovered in iOS 5.1 and earlier related to validating in-app purchase receipts by connecting to the App Store server directly from an iOS device. An attacker can alter the DNS table to redirect these requests to a server controlled by the attacker. Using a certificate authority controlled by the attacker and installed on the device by the user, the attacker can issue a SSL certificate that fraudulently identifies the attacker’s server as an App Store server. When this fraudulent server is asked to validate an invalid receipt, it responds as if the receipt were valid.

News of the in-app purchase hack broke a week ago, and Apple has made several attempts to prevent users using the hack. It allows users to avoid paying for in-app purchases by using a third-party server as a "man-in-the-middle" attack. Apple now includes the UDID identifier in in-app purchase receipts in an attempt to increase the security of purchases.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

ideal.dreams Avatar
169 months ago
I'm so-so on this. I can understand paying in-app for an application you initially downloaded for free, but if you've already paid for an app, why should you have to pay MORE to gain enhancements? I'm all for supporting the developers, believe me, I know that they work hard and it's a steady income for most, but I'm not going to find myself paying additional money for something in an app that I've already paid for to get more from the app.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WardC Avatar
169 months ago
Apple needs to step in and make in-app purchases illegal altogether...all that stuff is just a ploy and gimmick to make developer's more money. If I am paying for an application, I don't want "half-ass" functionality which requires 10-100x what I paid for the app to get to use all the features. That is just ridiculous!

The way I basically see it, is the in-app purchases (especially games) feed on a user's craving for "more" out of the game. When a user realizes they cannot advance in a game or achieve a goal in the game without the in-app purchase, they will tap a button and charge a fee to their Apple Store account. A few of these "taps" and the user feels comfortable using this feature....and before you know it, they have tacked on $200 in fees for a $2.99 or FREE game download originally. The whole thing feeds on an addictive-nature to get you "hooked" on using the in-app purchases with the game....and it's making developer's bookoos of money. Now that a hacker has circumvented this, devs are crying about it, but the truth of the matter is in-app purchases are an evil, luring, deceptive, scheming beast altogether to sucker the public into forking over their wallets!!!

And that, my friends, is the reason I refuse to download and use apps and games with the in-app purchase feature. It's a gimmick made by *greedy greedy* developer types, and I am not buying into any of that junk, at all. Just not worth it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jeckels Avatar
169 months ago
Some of the in-app purchases are just ridiculous but still doesn't mean you should cheat a developer out of money. They need to make a living too.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
charlituna Avatar
169 months ago
Apple needs to step in and make in-app purchases illegal altogether...all that stuff is just a ploy and gimmick to make developer's more money.

It's a free market. I have the power to choose how I develop and sell my IP. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Simple.

And not all IAP use is of this sort, some of it is for removing ads etc. And in some cases the games (which are what commonly use this ploy) are still playable although at a slower rate without playing. Or like Temple Run let you earn in game coins to buy the enhancements
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrClam Avatar
169 months ago
What i find interesting is that when pirates normally try to justify their actions - they usually use the high price of software as an excuse, and that if prices were cheaper.. They'd stop doing it.

If you're enjoying a developers hard work and not paying for it - then you are stealing that developers time. It'd be akin to going to a barbers - getting a haircut and not paying for it... You've not stolen anything physical from him, but you have stolen his time from him - he gave you a service, you didn't pay.

You can try to justify that however you like, but that barber gave you a service you didnt pay for, and as such you have just stolen from him. Same goes for software development - people spend their time to make something for you to enjoy - if you benefit from it and havent paid for it, that is theft. Pure and simple.

If you worked for your boss for a month, only for him to refuse to pay you at the end of that.. And just laughed it off as "piracy" - how would that make you feel? He's got the benefit of your work but refused to pay you for it.

I put a LOT of time and effort into my software - if i cant put food on the table because people are ripping my work off... then i'll stop doing it.. If everyone did that - then you'd have nothing left to pirate.

I guess that's just the way the self-entitled nature of todays kids are...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nagromme Avatar
169 months ago
I'm so-so on this. I can understand paying in-app for an application you initially downloaded for free, but if you've already paid for an app, why should you have to pay MORE to gain enhancements? I'm all for supporting the developers, believe me, I know that they work hard and it's a steady income for most, but I'm not going to find myself paying additional money for something in an app that I've already paid for to get more from the app.
How will I pay for making new levels for my game (no, I don’t really have one—right now) if you think all additions should be made free?

Never buy a game that isn’t worth the price you paid, “right out of the box"; reviews will help, and if you get ripped off I fee your pain.

And if the game IS worth what you paid, then there’s no need to get any more value, for free, out of the programmer’s sweat and dreams.

Therefore, buy the add-ons if they’re worth it, skip them if they’re not, but don’t steal them.

Some companies charge absurd prices for their games. Some do that for their IAP. Skip those companies, rather than spreading hacks that hurt everyone.


Apple needs to step in and make in-app purchases illegal altogether...all that stuff is just a ploy and gimmick to make developer's more money. If I am paying for an application, I don't want "half-ass" functionality which requires 10-100x what I paid for the app to get to use all the features. That is just ridiculous!

The way I basically see it, is the in-app purchases (especially games) feed on a user's craving for "more" out of the game. When a user realizes they cannot advance in a game or achieve a goal in the game without the in-app purchase, they will tap a button and charge a fee to their Apple Store account. A few of these "taps" and the user feels comfortable using this feature....and before you know it, they have tacked on $200 in fees for a $2.99 or FREE game download originally. The whole thing feeds on an addictive-nature to get you "hooked" on using the in-app purchases with the game....and it's making developer's bookoos of money. Now that a hacker has circumvented this, devs are crying about it, but the truth of the matter is in-app purchases are an evil, luring, deceptive, scheming beast altogether to sucker the public into forking over their wallets!!!

And that, my friends, is the reason I refuse to download and use apps and games with the in-app purchase feature. It's a gimmick made by *greedy greedy* developer types, and I am not buying into any of that junk, at all. Just not worth it.
You’re making the mistake of assuming that ALL IAP works the same and is a rip-off. It’s not.

And how do you know whether a developer is greedy or not? Maybe they should include all 500 levels in the original $1 game, say, and not just 200. But do we know what it cost him to develop that app and those levels? Do we know what his rent, food and health care cost? Are we asking him to give us more for free than we’d be willing to in his shoes?

I think it’s fair for a developer to set any kind of business model they want, as long as they’re honest about what it is. You can then skip those games that aren’t worth it to you.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)