Apple software flaw leaves devices vulnerable to hacker attacks

Apple Inc. announced on Friday that a major flaw in its mobile devices software made them susceptible to hacker attacks that could threaten email and other communications integrity. Moreover, experts warned that the companys Mac computers were even more unprotected.

Matthew Green, a cryptography professor at Johns Hopkins University, said, cited by Reuters: “Its as bad as you could imagine, thats all I can say.”

If taken advantage of, the flaw could allow hackers who have access to a certain wireless network see or alter data exchanges between the user and protected sites, such as Gmail, social networks or financial webpages. Moreover, governments with access to telecom carrier data are also able to exploit the security issue.

Apple did not disclose how and when it learned about its operating systems flaw, nor whether it has already been utilized. The company released patches and an update for the operating systems of its iPhone 4 and the newer generations, iPad 2 and later and iPod 5s fifth generation.

However, security experts found that the same issue existed in Apples laptop and desktop computers operating system, the Mac OSX. Although one is expected soon, no fix has been released yet.

Professor Green said that without the fix, a hacker could place himself in the middle between a user and a protected site and gain access to the entire data flow, from communication to financial data. Experts warned that people who would want to take advantage of the flaw may come up with programs to utilize it within days or even hours after its disclose.

Apple abstained from commenting and only announced on its support website that the software “failed to validate the authenticity of the connection.”

Dmitri Alperovich, chief technology officer at security firm CrowdStrike Inc., said, cited by Reuters: “The issue is a fundamental bug in Apples SSL implementation.”

Apple Inc.s shares fell by 1.11% on Friday to settle the session at $525.25, marking a one-year change of +16.51%. According to the Financial Times, the 44 analysts offering 12 month price targets for Apple Inc. have a median target of $590.00, with a high estimate of $777.00 and a low estimate of $270.00. The median estimate represents a 12.33% increase from Fridays close.