Apple Says Recently Discovered iOS Mail Vulnerabilities Pose No Immediate Threat, But a Patch Is in the Works

Apple has responded to a recent report on vulnerabilities discovered in its iOS Mail app, claiming the issues do not pose an immediate risk to users.

mail ios app icon
Earlier this week, San Francisco-based cybersecurity company ZecOps said it had uncovered two zero-day security vulnerabilities affecting Apple's stock Mail app for iPhones and iPads.

One of the vulnerabilities was said to enable an attacker to remotely infect an iOS device by sending emails that consume a large amount of memory. Another could allow remote code execution capabilities. Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities could potentially allow an attacker to leak, modify, or delete a user's emails, claimed ZecOps.

However, Apple has downplayed the severity of the issues in the following statement, which was given to several media outlets.

"Apple takes all reports of security threats seriously. We have thoroughly investigated the researcher's report and, based on the information provided, have concluded these issues do not pose an immediate risk to our users. The researcher identified three issues in Mail, but alone they are insufficient to bypass iPhone and iPad security protections, and we have found no evidence they were used against customers. These potential issues will be addressed in a software update soon. We value our collaboration with security researchers to help keep our users safe and will be crediting the researcher for their assistance."

The vulnerabilities are said to impact all software versions between iOS 6 and iOS 13.4.1. ZecOps said that Apple has patched the vulnerabilities in the latest beta of iOS 13.4.5, which should be publicly released within the coming weeks. Until then, ZecOps recommends using a third-party email app like Gmail or Outlook, which are apparently not impacted.

Top Rated Comments

miniyou64 Avatar
51 months ago
The bugs in Mail are still immediately extremely annoying
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
otternonsense Avatar
51 months ago
I'm pretty sure Apple will have prioritised some irrelevant pleasantry like Memoji barf physics in iOS 14 than getting Mail, FaceTime or personal hotspot straightened out.

As for this patch.. not holding my breath it will be the last one.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ned1 Avatar
51 months ago
I raised this issue on Apple Community yesterday after reading articles on both the BBC and Guardian web sites.

within 20minutes I received an email from apple stating .....We removed your post "iOS 13.4.1 mail vulnerability" because it was speculative.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
51 months ago

I'm pretty sure Apple will have prioritised some irrelevant pleasantry like Memoji barf physics in iOS 14 than getting Mail, FaceTime or personal hotspot straightened out.
What makes you think the same people would work on these things? There's one graphics designer who creates new emojis who is very good and drawing emojis but doesn't have the slightest clue how to fix bugs in Mail.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
otternonsense Avatar
51 months ago

Yeah, it's good we actually receive patches and updates, no?
Of course it's good. The amount of patches we are receiving though, addressing issues evidenced by third parties and made public, doesn't inspire a lot of trust in Apple's own iOS and macOS QA for proactive bug fixing. At least they're pushing those patches relatively fast.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MandiMac Avatar
51 months ago

Of course it's good. The amount of patches we are receiving though, addressing issues evidenced by third parties and made public, doesn't inspire a lot of trust in Apple's own iOS and macOS QA for proactive bug fixing. At least they're pushing those patches relatively fast.
I‘d rather nitpick about the amount of patches we are receiving than having security problems without a patch in sight. It‘s the lesser evil, really.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...