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Apple Says WikiLeaks CIA Documents Are Old and Exploits Have Been Fixed

Thursday March 23, 2017 7:54 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In response to a series of CIA documents leaked this morning that outline exploits the government used to gain access to Macs and iOS devices, Apple gave a statement to TechCrunch claiming that the documents are old and that the vulnerabilities outlined in the leak have long since been patched.

Apple says the iPhone vulnerability only affected the iPhone 3G and was fixed in 2009, while all Mac vulnerabilities were fixed in Macs launched after 2013.

We have preliminarily assessed the Wikileaks disclosures from this morning. Based on our initial analysis, the alleged iPhone vulnerability affected iPhone 3G only and was fixed in 2009 when iPhone 3GS was released. Additionally, our preliminary assessment shows the alleged Mac vulnerabilities were previously fixed in all Macs launched after 2013.

We have not negotiated with Wikileaks for any information. We have given them instructions to submit any information they wish through our normal process under our standard terms. Thus far, we have not received any information from them that isn't in the public domain. We are tireless defenders of our users' security and privacy, but we do not condone theft or coordinate with those that threaten to harm our users.
The new documents, part of an ongoing "Vault 7" leak focusing on the United States Central Intelligence Agency, were released by WikiLeaks this morning. Codenamed "Dark Matter," the documents primarily covered techniques for exploiting and accessing Macs through a peripheral device like a USB stick.

An iPhone exploit, called "Night Skies 1.2," was also featured, adding to the range of "Year Zero" iPhone exploits that were shared by WikiLeaks last week.

All of the Dark Matter and Year Zero documents can be found on WikiLeaks. Additional Apple-related hacks and exploits may surface as the Vault 7 series continues, and it will take time for security analysts and experts to determine the impact of the leaks.

While Apple says all of the exploits have been patched, its results are preliminary. Should any remaining exploits be unaddressed, Apple will undoubtedly fix them quickly.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: WikiLeaks
[ 73 comments ]


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BeefCake 15
24 months ago
Can we give credit to Apple for this! They've been faster to respond on security issues than MR trolls
Rating: 37 Votes
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snebes
24 months ago
Ah so the 2013 and still current Mac Pro is vulnerable. How nice
Rating: 9 Votes
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dannyyankou
24 months ago
So does this mean my 2012 MacBook has these vulnerabilities?
Rating: 7 Votes
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kevinkyoo
24 months ago
Do people really think that the CIA's exploits have been patched, and that's the end of that? No other way to get around them? It's a good PR piece, but let's be real here.
[doublepost=1490324618][/doublepost]

This is tin foil hat material for OCD Paranoids. No matter what Apple says they will say, “Yeah, but...” like the guy out in the Nevada dessert who claims he can prove the Moon landings were faked and that Lyndon Johnson ordered the hit on Kennedy. These people cannot be reasoned with.


And you're the same person who would've questioned the existence of these exploits before documents like Vault came out.
Rating: 6 Votes
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thadoggfather
24 months ago
Do we really believe CIA is behind the times, to the extent of 2009ish?

They have a whole dept dedicated to apple products, I think they still know what they're doing
Rating: 6 Votes
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Nicky G
24 months ago
Assume all of your electronic communications are PWNED, period. 'Nuff said.

EDIT: And btw, in two minutes will be my 15th year on this forum, so youngins, let me set you straight: Heed this sheeyit. Heed it, beeyotches.

EDIT 2: And BTW, I have been telling people this sheeyit since I was in college in the late 90s. Nobody listened then, and now everyone "sorta" takes it for granted. This is not a good state of affairs, in the era of fascist overthrow of the USA. Heed it. Heed it.
Rating: 4 Votes
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rawweb
24 months ago
Fascinating, since they're still selling a Mac product made in 2013 as new. No reason to update it though, it passes this round of threats.

Maybe someone needs to quick 'exploit' the Mac Pro/Mini so we can get a new one! lol
Rating: 3 Votes
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DrewDaHilp1
24 months ago

"We are tireless defenders of our users' security and privacy, but we do not condone theft or coordinate with those that threaten to harm our users."

Are Apple implying with this statement that they believe Wikileaks are thieves and threatening harm to their users?

I think(being the keyword) that they are saying that any data gained from Wikileaks is not legally acquired aka stolen/gained via theft/unauthorized access.
The coordinate with those that threaten harm to our users part is saying that they don't work with governments to use their products to spy on their citizens.
In my mind basically they are covering both sides of the argument.
Rating: 3 Votes
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AngerDanger
24 months ago

Apple gave a statement to TechCrunch ('https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/23/apple-says-recent-wikileaks-cia-docs-detail-old-fixed-iphone-and-mac-exploits/') claiming that the documents are old and that the vulnerabilities outlined in the leak have long since been patched.


Apple went on to look around nervously and say, "So no need to even try these exploits, guys. Ha ha ha. Seriously though, don't even bother."
Rating: 3 Votes
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Robert.Walter
24 months ago

So does this mean my 2012 MacBook has these vulnerabilities?


Was thinking similarly, that it reads as though they couldn't plug these holes with software so there are a bunch of non vintage/obsolete Macs out there that are still vulnerable. If so, it would be nice if apple to explain thecountours of that vulnerability so that owners can take appropriate precautions.
Rating: 3 Votes

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