Apple Confirms 'Heartbleed' Security Issue Did Not Affect Apple Software and 'Key Services'

heartbleed_200Apple today released a statement to Re/code confirming that iOS, OS X and "key web services" were unaffected by the widely publicized security flaw known as Heartbleed which was disclosed earlier this week.

“Apple takes security very seriously. iOS and OS X never incorporated the vulnerable software and key web-based services were not affected,” an Apple spokesperson told Re/code.

Heartbleed was a security flaw in the popular open-source software OpenSSL which helps provide secure connections between clients and servers. Due the ubiquity of OpenSSL, Heartbleed is believed to have affected approximately 66% of the internet.

Security blogger Bruce Schneier describes the issue as "catastrophic" and on "the scale of 1 to 10, this is an 11." The flaw allowed servers to leak server memory to a malicious attacker, allowing hackers to extract login/password and other private data from a server. Users are recommended to change their passwords on all services that may have been affected. Mashable provides a list of services where you should change your password. Fortunately, MacRumors Forums were unaffected by the security flaw.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iOS 26 Home Feature

Apple Gives Final Warning to Home App Users

Tuesday February 3, 2026 8:55 am PST by
In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is fast approaching. In an email this week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart...

Top Rated Comments

Jedibugs Avatar
154 months ago
That's good. You know if Apple had been affected, all the headlines would be reading "Apple's Security Failure"
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainApple Avatar
154 months ago
This is what a Walled Garden gets you :apple:
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dugbug Avatar
154 months ago
Apple could not resist that zinger :p

Android apparently incorporated it. Ouch.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robeddie Avatar
154 months ago
To people above me: right - remember SSL issue from not long ago?
The garden is walled, except for wholes found from time to time.

wholes?

hmm, I'm gonna think about that while I enjoy my hore.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
petsounds Avatar
154 months ago

It's not important that Apple takes security very seriously and it doesn't even matter in this case - nobody (maybe except for the NSA^^) knew about this issue, so there wouldn't have been anything Apple could have done.
Not exactly. OpenSSL has gotten a lot of flack in the past for being a shoddy library. There's plenty of security researchers who've looked through the code and said it's a mess. So perhaps Apple knew to stay away where possible. In other cases, it was a lucky accident that they pinned OpenSSL on OS X to the older 0.9.8 which wasn't vulnerable.

Either way, it's a PR win for Apple, especially compared to Android which is vulnerable. And you can bet that many of the old versions of Android people are running will never get patched by carriers.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SILen(e Avatar
154 months ago
Their statement contained a bit of marketing blahblah.

It's not important that Apple takes security very seriously and it doesn't even matter in this case - nobody (maybe except for the NSA^^) knew about this issue, so there wouldn't have been anything Apple could have done.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)