Apple is getting ready to publicly release iOS 10 later this year, but ahead of general availability, the company is pushing out beta versions of the new OS. And the first preview of iOS 10 came with a big surprise in the form of an unencrypted kernel.
Security researchers and those poring over the company’s latest code were taken aback to discover that Apple eschewed its usual practice of encrypting the kernel, and instead left big parts of it open for all to see. The move is either an incredibly sloppy mistake, or much more likely, a deliberate and calculated move on the part of the company, which is facing increased pressure over its security and privacy measures.
As reported by the MIT’s Technology Review, the fact that Apple left the kernel unencrypted in this preview version of iOS 10 makes it a lot easier for researchers and those interested to find and report security flaws, bugs and so on. It’s also a good way to prove there are no backdoors or other worrying bits of code in Apple’s OS.
Of course, the move may come with some added risk that malicious agents may try to force their way into the OS. In fact, just over the weekend it emerged that iOS 10 had already been jailbroken.
Still, security experts note that since the company’s showdown with the FBI over encryption, Apple’s devices have been closely scrutinized and the company’s security measures have become a central focus for many in the security field. The fact that the FBI was able to find a third party that was willing and able to break into an iPhone, revealed that Apple still had a way to go before its phones are as secure as the company wants.
And this move may thwart efforts of those that are stockpiling vulnerabilities from Apple’s products and selling or exploiting them – a market that seems to have grown dramatically in recent years.
Apple hasn’t commented on why it released a version of iOS without an encrypted kernel, but we’ll soon find out if the company changes course when it releases the new preview of iOS 10.
Source: MIT Technology Review via: BBC