Apple’s Silicon Slip-Up: Laptops and iPhones Open to Sneaky Snooping!
Newly identified side-channel attacks, SLAP and FLOP, can exploit Apple Silicon processors to reveal sensitive data through Chrome and Safari. These speculative-execution attacks allow malicious webpages to snoop on other tabs, accessing emails and more. Researchers propose mitigations, but Apple claims there’s no immediate risk to users.
Hot Take:
Apple’s silicon is feeling the heat from side-channel attacks, but Cupertino seems to be taking it with a grain of silicon dust. While your browsing habits may be up for grabs, Apple assures us there’s no immediate reason to panic. But hey, maybe it’s time to start browsing in incognito mode while holding a four-leaf clover?
Key Points:
- Security researchers have identified two new side-channel attacks, SLAP and FLOP, targeting Apple’s silicon processors.
- These attacks exploit speculative execution, allowing malicious webpages to snoop on sensitive data in other browser tabs.
- SLAP targets Load Address Predictor (LAP) features, while FLOP exploits Load Value Prediction (LVP) in Apple’s CPUs.
- Affected Apple devices include recent MacBooks, iMacs, iPads, and iPhones.
- Apple has been informed, and mitigations are being suggested, but they don’t see an immediate threat to users.
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