Imagine getting malware just from viewing the preview of an iMessage. Well, that’s exactly what’s happening with the newest security breach in Apple’s operating systems. On all devices, it’s possible for hackers to simply send you a message and infect you with malware that gives them access to all of your information. Scary, right? Well, let’s go over how you can prevent this.
Origins
Your iMessage automatically renders images that you receive. This means you don’t have to click on anything to download the image in order to view it–it just shows up in the chat log. This is dangerous, because hackers are sending encrypted TIFF files (just another image file, like JPG or PNG). It can work with any type of Apple communication–email works the same way, and sometimes you may click on a link that leads you to an encrypted image file.
Prevention
The safest iOS for your iPhone is 9.3.3., which hasn’t even started sending out those annoying pop-up reminders yet. For Macs, the safe iOS is OS X. If you can’t update right now to protect yourself, go into your settings and disable your iMessage so you’ll only receive messages as texts. You can also turn of MMS messaging so images won’t appear. This quick fix can be made by the following commands: Settings > Messages > iMessage (on/off) > MMS Messaging (on/off).
Your Risk
Actually, your risk is higher than you think. All the hackers need is your email or your phone number. 14% of Apple devices run on iOS 8 or earlier. And most people aren’t going to be alerted to the newest update, which debuted July 18th. Your absolute best bet is to update your devices as soon as you can.
Read more about this recent hack here.
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