A major security problem at CarPlay and AirPlay has been discovered, making millions of devices all over the world. That way you stay safe.
Security problem CarPlay and AirPlay
A major security problem has been discovered at both CarPlay and AirPlay! According to security company Oligo, AirPlay has a number of weak spots in the software, which makes technology vulnerable to malware. AirPlay is standard on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac (book) and Apple TV. With AirPlay you can easily change your media to other devices between devices and stream, similar to Google Chromecast.
Many smart devices also have AirPlay, such as Smart TVs and the HomePod (Mini). Now it appears that AirPlay and CarPlay have to deal with important security problems. Oligo has found no less than 23 different software problems at AirPlay. Because of these vulnerabilities, malicious malware can spread over devices with AirPlay, which are connected to the same WiFi network.
Distribute malware via AirPlay
According to Oligo, devices can be taken over by the security problems in AirPlay. Malware can spread malware via AirPlay, provided that the device is connected to the same WiFi network. This is especially dangerous with public networks, or busy networks of companies. For example, many users are connected to the same public WiFi network of, for example, restaurants or hotels. AirPlay is vulnerable due to the security problems, especially if a public network is used.
The security problems, called ‘Airborne’ by Oligo, apply to both AirPlay and CarPlay. Certain systems can be taken over from the car through the vulnerability in CarPlay. A direct connection with the car is needed to abuse the software problems. That does not happen so quickly, because it often requires a code or a wired connection. Access to the vehicle itself is also needed, so that the chance is little that CarPlay will be abused by malicious parties.
Measures against security problems
In collaboration with Oligo, Apple has since solved a large part of the security problems in CarPlay and AirPlay. It is therefore important that your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac (book), Apple TV and HomePod are updated to the latest software version. With recent updates, Apple has solved the problems with AirPlay and CarPlay. Unfortunately, that does not (yet) apply to all devices, especially if they are from third parties.
This means that Oligo expects it to take a long time before all airplay devices have been updated. Probably tens of millions of devices are vulnerable due to the security problems in AirPlay and CarPlay. You do not have to update the latter, that will happen automatically if your iPhone installs a new software version. So make sure that you provide all devices with AirPlay with the most recent update, so that you know for sure that the security is back in order.
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