AirDrop, the feature built into an estimated 1.5 billion Apple devices, allows Mac and iPhone users to seamlessly share files without the nuisance of USB sticks or finding another network connection. But security researchers this week poked a big hole in that peace of mind by revealing two flaws in AirDrop’s protocol that could allow an attacker to obtain email addresses and phone numbers of nearby devices that are using AirDrop. The concern is the snooping could enable other malicious activity, such as spearphishing of individual Apple users or the sale of bulk personal data to fraudsters. At issue are the “hash values” that Apple uses to hide the contact details of AirDrop users from a third party. Researchers from Germany’s Technical University (TU) of Darmstadt who made the discovery said those values can be easily exposed using brute-force or other attacks. A hacker would need to be in close […]
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