Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

On 9/20/2020 3:14 PM, RichA wrote:
https://petapixel.com/2020/09/19/if-...spying-on-you/


Translation:

- When the green dot is off, your iPhone is _spying_ on you through the
camera
- When the green dot is on, your iPhone is flat out blatantly
broadcasting you for the whole word to see

On a serious note: a _software_ camera activity indicator? Seriously?
Sigh... iPhone users...

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

In article , Andrey Tarasevich
wrote:


https://petapixel.com/2020/09/19/if-...t-in-ios-14-yo
ur-camera-may-be-spying-on-you/


Translation:

- When the green dot is off, your iPhone is _spying_ on you through the
camera
- When the green dot is on, your iPhone is flat out blatantly
broadcasting you for the whole word to see

nonsense.

On a serious note: a _software_ camera activity indicator? Seriously?

the only way to access the camera or microphone on the iphone is via
the appropriate framework, therefore a software activity indicator will
work.

that same framework also requests permission and will only allow access
it permission is granted.

Sigh... iPhone users...

sigh. apple haters, who are completely ignorant about how things
actually work.

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

In article ,
RichA wrote:


On a serious note: a _software_ camera activity indicator? Seriously?

the only way to access the camera or microphone on the iphone is via
the appropriate framework, therefore a software activity indicator will
work.

that same framework also requests permission and will only allow access
it permission is granted.


Each time it is used (the program) or only the first time or when installed?

the first time an app wants to access the camera, microphone, location,
photos, contacts, bluetooth, clipboard and many other things, it asks
for permission:

https://cdn.redmondpie.com/wp-conten...-camera-permis
sions.jpg

https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/up...Shot-2019-07-1
8-at-12.18.38-PM.jpg

any of the permissions can be enabled or disabled at any time in
settings:
https://support.apple.com/library/co...are/images/en_
US/iOS/ios13-iphone-xs-settings-privacy.jpg

location has an additional one-time option:
https://support.apple.com/library/co...are/images/en_
US/iOS/ios13-iphone-xs-maps-allow-maps-to-access-location-while-using-ap
p.jpg

once permission is granted, accessing the camera, microphone, etc.,
requires using the appropriate framework, which will check the
permission setting *every* time it's accessed and display the
appropriate indicator in the status bar if needed.

if permission was denied, then the app will alert the user:
https://files.helpdocs.io/zs9btrpj6q/other/1568138221085/privacy.jpg

any app that tries to bypass permissions by using private undocumented
apis or any other method will be rejected from the app store until the
issue is fixed.

tl;dr a software status indicator works quite well.

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

On 2020-09-20 22:34, Andrey Tarasevich wrote:
On 9/20/2020 3:14 PM, RichA wrote:
https://petapixel.com/2020/09/19/if-...spying-on-you/



Translation:

- When the green dot is off, your iPhone is _spying_ on you through the
camera
- When the green dot is on, your iPhone is flat out blatantly
broadcasting you for the whole word to see

On a serious note: a _software_ camera activity indicator? Seriously?
Sigh... iPhone users...

Sigh. The ignorant who have no clue how deeply controlled access is on
the iPhone to the camera and mic.

As to hardware lights (on computers and web cams) they are known to be
easily defeated through malware (ie: camera is on but the light is off).
Oh, darn, that happens in ... software.

--
"...there are many humorous things in this world; among them the white
man's notion that he is less savage than the other savages."
-Samuel Clemens

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

On 22/09/2020 3:40 am, nospam wrote:
In article ,
RichA wrote:


On a serious note: a _software_ camera activity indicator? Seriously?

the only way to access the camera or microphone on the iphone is via
the appropriate framework, therefore a software activity indicator will
work.

that same framework also requests permission and will only allow access
it permission is granted.


Each time it is used (the program) or only the first time or when installed?

the first time an app wants to access the camera, microphone, location,
photos, contacts, bluetooth, clipboard and many other things, it asks
for permission:

Only if it plays by the rules.

Or are Apple-hackers not as skilled as Win-hackers ?

geoff

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

In article , geoff
wrote:

the first time an app wants to access the camera, microphone, location,
photos, contacts, bluetooth, clipboard and many other things, it asks
for permission:

Only if it plays by the rules.

it has to, else it won't be in the app store.

android apps also request permission, originally on install, but later
copied the much better on-demand approach ios has had.

Or are Apple-hackers not as skilled as Win-hackers ?

not even a good attempt at trolling.

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

On 2020-09-21 20:02, geoff wrote:
On 22/09/2020 3:40 am, nospam wrote:
In article ,
RichA wrote:


On a serious note: a _software_ camera activity indicator? Seriously?

the only way to access the camera or microphone on the iphone is via
the appropriate framework, therefore a software activity indicator will
work.

that same framework also requests permission and will only allow access
it permission is granted.

Each time it is used (the program) or only the first time or when
installed?

the first time an app wants to access the camera, microphone, location,
photos, contacts, bluetooth, clipboard and many other things, it asks
for permission:

Only if it plays by the rules.

Apps have no choice about the rules. The rules are invoked by iOS on
attempts to access those things.

It's up to the user to control that via iOS's permissions management.


Or are Apple-hackers not as skilled as Win-hackers ?

Apple OS SW/HW designers run rings around PC and Windows OS designers.
That's why the FBI had to hire an Israeli firm to break into an iPhone
using a mixed hw and sw attack.

That said, I'd surmise that on Mac OS it's easier for malware to access
things like the microphone and camera than on iOS because of the
somewhat generic motherboard hardware design used in x86 Macs.

(Also why a large number of PC's can run Mac OS with a little help from
some hackerware - even on AMD machines per one site.)

And that said, Apple are always routing more and more h/w via custom
chips where authorization can be enforced by the OS.

With the change from intel to Apple's ARM based chips, making Malware
for Macs will become all but impossible other than "socially engineered"
hacks.

--
"...there are many humorous things in this world; among them the white
man's notion that he is less savage than the other savages."
-Samuel Clemens

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

In article , Alan Browne
wrote:


the first time an app wants to access the camera, microphone, location,
photos, contacts, bluetooth, clipboard and many other things, it asks
for permission:

Only if it plays by the rules.

Apps have no choice about the rules. The rules are invoked by iOS on
attempts to access those things.

It's up to the user to control that via iOS's permissions management.

correct.

as i said before, which was snipped, if an app tries to get around
that, either by using private undocumented apis or any other method,
the app will be rejected from being in the app store until the issue is
resolved.

android also has permissions preventing a rogue app from accessing
things it shouldn't, however, it's significantly easier to get around
it than on ios.

Or are Apple-hackers not as skilled as Win-hackers ?

Apple OS SW/HW designers run rings around PC and Windows OS designers.
That's why the FBI had to hire an Israeli firm to break into an iPhone
using a mixed hw and sw attack.

one of the main reasons why there's so much malware on windows and
android is because it's so incredibly easy to do, requiring very little
skill.

hacking macs and iphones, while not impossible, is orders of magnitude
more difficult and getting more difficult with each new os version.

in other words, 'apple-hackers' are far more skilled than 'win-hackers'.

That said, I'd surmise that on Mac OS it's easier for malware to access
things like the microphone and camera than on iOS because of the
somewhat generic motherboard hardware design used in x86 Macs.

the reason is because sandboxing is not required on a mac.

also, not all macs have a camera or microphone to exploit.

(Also why a large number of PC's can run Mac OS with a little help from
some hackerware - even on AMD machines per one site.)

And that said, Apple are always routing more and more h/w via custom
chips where authorization can be enforced by the OS.

With the change from intel to Apple's ARM based chips, making Malware
for Macs will become all but impossible other than "socially engineered"
hacks.

apple silicon won't have much effect.

intel macs have the t2 security chip already, for example.

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

On 2020-09-22 11:25, nospam wrote:
In article , Alan Browne
wrote:
geoff wrote:
Or are Apple-hackers not as skilled as Win-hackers ?

Apple OS SW/HW designers run rings around PC and Windows OS designers.
That's why the FBI had to hire an Israeli firm to break into an iPhone
using a mixed hw and sw attack.

one of the main reasons why there's so much malware on windows and
android is because it's so incredibly easy to do, requiring very little
skill.

hacking macs and iphones, while not impossible, is orders of magnitude
more difficult and getting more difficult with each new os version.

in other words, 'apple-hackers' are far more skilled than 'win-hackers'.

There's that.

[1a] That said, I'd surmise that on Mac OS it's easier for malware to
access
things like the microphone and camera than on iOS because of the
somewhat generic motherboard hardware design used in x86 Macs.

the reason is because sandboxing is not required on a mac.

[1b]
It's 'cause of the h/w. Excepting T2 equipped Macs you mention below, if
the malware succeeds in getting on board (usually by social hacking)
then those devices can be compromised w/o the OS knowing what's up at all.


also, not all macs have a camera or microphone to exploit.

Irrelevant to those that do.


(Also why a large number of PC's can run Mac OS with a little help from
some hackerware - even on AMD machines per one site.)

And that said, Apple are always routing more and more h/w via custom
chips where authorization can be enforced by the OS.

With the change from intel to Apple's ARM based chips, making Malware
for Macs will become all but impossible other than "socially engineered"
hacks.

apple silicon won't have much effect.

Sure it will [2] as it will obviate cases such as [1] above.


intel macs have the t2 security chip already, for example.

[2] The T2 is a 64 bit ARM based processor, just not used as a GP CPU
and of course there are many Macs in the wild w/o it (such as my home
iMac and MBA and several Macs at work).

All Macs based on ARM will have the T2 or successors - possibly
integrated onto the same die as the main CPU some day.

Now you'll know when your iPhone is spying on you
 

On 9/22/2020 8:25 AM, nospam wrote:

one of the main reasons why there's so much malware on windows and
android is because it's so incredibly easy to do, requiring very little
skill.

Wrong. There's absolutely no detectable difference in how easy or how
difficult it is to create malware for any of these systems. But, more
importantly, technical difficulty has nothing to do with it. The actual
hacking is already a commodity.

Today it is all a matter of how quickly and how effectively the threat
is counteracted by the maintainer of the OS.

hacking macs and iphones, while not impossible, is orders of magnitude
more difficult and getting more difficult with each new os version.

The well-known fact is that today Windows is by a huge margin more
secure that Linux and iOS. It has been like that for... well. a decade
already? More? This fact speaks for itself. But again, it is a matter of
how effective the maintainer of the OS is at counteracting the
discovered threats.

For all their money, Apple is frantically struggling to keep up with the
reality.