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Exactly. This is like handing over the keys to the car. It's not like simply clicking a malicious link will do this. You have to click the link, then when it asks you if you want to install the certificate and gives your a BIG WARNING about how it could allow malicious content and to only trust it from trusted sources, then you have to enter your passcode. If you do all of that because you think you're getting some game, how is that anyone's fault but your own? What should Apple do? Should they make it so businesses can't install other profiles because there are a couple idiots out there?
They certainly shouldn't make it easier and basically transparent to the user like they have actually done in iOS 8.
 
If I'm using a non-enterprise ios device --- just a regular old iphone from the carrier, will it be able to install this rogue app also?

Well, first you’ll have to download a provisioning profile. This would be a link where you’ll get prompted to “Install Profile”. That won’t install an app, but it will allow an app to be installed from the same developer/account. Basically non-App Store apps install a special file into your device that says “Allow apps from this developer to be installed”. As indicated in some other posts, this can be revoked by Apple, but that may be after the damage is done. App Store apps use a default profile in iOS, that’s distributed by Apple.

Then if you install an App from the same source, it could be a bogus app. The extra issue here is Apps use something called a Bundle ID which is a unique text value - I guess you could think if it like a filename, i.e., if you copy a file to a location with the same filename, it overwrites the existing file.

Same thing here, if you compile you application with the same Bundle ID as an existing App (it takes about 15 seconds to get the BID of any app...), then it overwrites it.

If the app had settings, etc., then the new app can access the same info, do things like read existing email, etc. Of course it means they’d need to reproduce the _some_ of the same functionality or it would be pretty obvious something was wrong.
 
^^
Absolutely this. Apple should be far, far more careful about how they hand out enterprise provisioning certificates and it shouldn't be possible to overwrite an app that was installed from the App store with an enterprise provisioned one.
That's more or less it. There is an issue there that Apple needs to take care of. There's no point of arguing that there isn't an issue or people can be more careful to avoid the issue--it's there and needs to be taken care of in some way.
 
Except, this "hack" requires you to install enterprise provisioning first and then click on a link from a SMS/email. And THEN click on the install app popup. And THEN realize that the app that you just went to install, isn't there. And THEN just forget about it.

Seems like a simple thing, doesn't it?

do you get paid for this apologist role you play?
 
This sort of security flaw is why Apple needs to be updating all of their older iOS (and MacOSX) operating systems with security patches all the way back. While they would like all users to upgrade to the latest and greatest the reality is there are hundreds of millions of older devices out there that can not run the newer operating systems because Apple abandons them.

What would be even better is if Apple made their newer OSs work on older hardware by gracefully falling back on features that can't be supported. This would keep the older hardware users in the fold and buying media through the App and iTunes stores and thus continuing to profit Apple and developers while also maintaining security.
 
Well, first you’ll have to download a provisioning profile. This would be a link where you’ll get prompted to “Install Profile”. That won’t install an app, but it will allow an app to be installed from the same developer/account. Basically non-App Store apps install a special file into your device that says “Allow apps from this developer to be installed”. As indicated in some other posts, this can be revoked by Apple, but that may be after the damage is done. App Store apps use a default profile in iOS, that’s distributed by Apple.

Then if you install an App from the same source, it could be a bogus app. The extra issue here is Apps use something called a Bundle ID which is a unique text value - I guess you could think if it like a filename, i.e., if you copy a file to a location with the same filename, it overwrites the existing file.

Same thing here, if you compile you application with the same Bundle ID as an existing App (it takes about 15 seconds to get the BID of any app...), then it overwrites it.

If the app had settings, etc., then the new app can access the same info, do things like read existing email, etc. Of course it means they’d need to reproduce the _some_ of the same functionality or it would be pretty obvious something was wrong.
Unfortunately that might not really be the case. Just installed an app for testing a few weeks ago under a new iOS 8.1 install (without any profiles or anything like that) and the app installed without any prompts to install a profile, yet a profile was definitely installed, which I could only see via Xcode (not even on the device itself). So unfortunately not so simple, at least not anymore in iOS 8, and that on its own is a big step in an undesirable direction.

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Except, this "hack" requires you to install enterprise provisioning first and then click on a link from a SMS/email. And THEN click on the install app popup. And THEN realize that the app that you just went to install, isn't there. And THEN just forget about it.

Seems like a simple thing, doesn't it?
So, clearly the issue is still there, no matter how you would get to it. Which means it's still an issue that needs to be addressed.

Add to that that iOS 8 pretty much obfuscates the whole profile installation and management aspect of things, it becomes that much worse.
 
Unfortunately that might not really be the case. Just installed an app for testing a few weeks ago under a new iOS 8.1 install (without any profiles or anything like that) and the app installed without any prompts to install a profile, yet a profile was definitely installed, which I could only see via Xcode (not even on the device itself). So unfortunately not so simple, at least not anymore in iOS 8, and that on its own is a big step in an undesirable direction.

Oh, no kidding? I haven’t done an update to a fresh (i.e., unprovisioned) device since 8.x, so I haven’t seen the behavior. Thanks for the clarification!

Yeah, I agree, in that we need some kind of user level presentment of profiles (and not _less_ information), even if it’s something nicely abstracted like a simple list that says, “You have authorized the installation of apps from : Apple, JankyApps, Inc.”

(Maybe profile should also indicate the original source address/domain, so it would be easy to see Corpo Profile from corpo.com vs. Corpo Profile from offshorehackers.org ...)
 
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Exactly. This is like handing over the keys to the car. It's not like simply clicking a malicious link will do this. You have to click the link, then when it asks you if you want to install the certificate and gives your a BIG WARNING about how it could allow malicious content and to only trust it from trusted sources, then you have to enter your passcode. If you do all of that because you think you're getting some game, how is that anyone's fault but your own? What should Apple do? Should they make it so businesses can't install other profiles because there are a couple idiots out there?

Yeah, the video fails to show that part. It only shows the phone after the certificate has been enrolled. Which leads me to believe they are either just getting this out to the enterprise community or, more likely than not, looking for attention. How can you leave out the biggest picture of all...you need to approve provisioning, with your passcode (if present). It's a very obvious (and ominous) process.

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Just because the vulnerability is there, there is no reason Apple needs to rush to fix this. Because in order for the Masque attack to work, it needs the user to open a link via messages. If the link takes them anywhere other then the App store, you have to be really unintelligent to not know that's its a malware or "hack". Plus it ASKS you to click install said app or not.


...not to mention you need to also install a matching certificate on your device, prior to installing the app.
 
Yeah, the video fails to show that part. It only shows the phone after the certificate has been enrolled. Which leads me to believe they are either just getting this out to the enterprise community or, more likely than not, looking for attention. How can you leave out the biggest picture of all...you need to approve provisioning, with your passcode (if present). It's a very obvious (and ominous) process.

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...not to mention you need to also install a matching certificate on your device, prior to installing the app.
Seems like in iOS 8 you might not really need to approve any provisioning as Apple tried to make it "simplified" for the user: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/...eta-4-xcode-6-beta-4#comment41038167_25132712
 
All of the enterprise market which loads custom apps this way without going through the app store - as the article mentioned.

If you are an IBM employee and see an email from "it@ibm.com" saying, we have an update for [some app that IBM uses in the enterprise environment] click the link to install it, you are going to get a TON of people installing it because they have done it many times before not realizing that it@ibm.com has been spoofed.


Okay, the email is a spoofed Trojan; but how are they aquiring the Enterprise provisioning certificate, needed to sign the malicious code?
 
ok, who left the door open .....

We're seeing an unusual wave of successful attacks in iOS recently, that shouldn't have happened....

Wireluker (like the name, don't play the game)

And now this one..

So just like the Mac, iOS is now becoming a target, we Apple fans were always high and mighty.

But, its also dump to even fall for scams in the first place... Posing as "Gmail" and/or update or new "Flappy birds" i bet would bit hundreds of users, since they've never learnt the ways of the force :cool:

Just don't turn to the darker side, and all should be fine.

Unfortunately, allot of people do, and Apple kind of put us there. Since iOS is easy to use, Apple takes care of the security, anyone can use an iPhone and know their safe, because Apple protects us... Users do not learn on their on, Why would they need to ?

And now we have this ...... See the mistake?

Security aside, users who by iPhones should learn to protect themselves, its no different than protecting your Windows/Mac (now we have some).

Its bad ya, but if users open every SMS without knowing if they know that person physically, then their on the road to hell.
 
Ok, this may be a stupid question, but is there a way to exploit this vulnerability that would let me install an SD card reader app for my 6+ without jailbreaking it?
 

I like when this vulnerabilities get discovered when we know Apple is nearing an iOS update (8.1.1 this time) because we get more fixes :)

This is a pretty legit vulnerability. Cunning.

Okay, this becomes serious...

That is a very long time to not have a fix released.

And Apple couldn't fix that GIANT hole in almost half a year?

Wow. Slackers.

Yup, the new patch is coming, it's called: User Stupidity Fix 1.0

:rolleyes:
 
You're missing the point. How it gets installed is less important than the fact that it CAN be installed this way in the first place.

You're focusing on the wrong issue.

He'll never understand that concept. You can't fix stupid ;)
 
I may be missing something here, but that blog link specifically refers to provisioning trouble and NOT being able to install [dev] apps. Maybe you copied the wrong link?
It's one of the answers there that I was linking to, basically the one that says the following:

"Apple views the exposure of the provisioning profile to users not using the dev tools as an unnecessary exposure. iOS should take care of provisioning automatically for the everyday user - removing them when expired, untrusting developers when their last app is uninstalled, etc. Any flow that requires a normal user to deal with provisioning profiles is now viewed as flawed. Provisioning profiles can still be managed by dev tools like Xcode or by device management systems like MDM. This philosophy is mentioned in WWDC 2014's talk on Managing Apple Devices around ~42 minutes in."

This is further shown in Apple's own documentation at https://developer.apple.com/library...html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40012582-CH30-SW31 where the following is mentioned:

"Note: You rarely install a provisioning profile yourself because when you launch an app on a device, iOS and OS X automatically install the embedded provisioning profile in the app’s bundle on the device."
 
Yeah. Because anyone who doesn't spend all their time on tech sites like the nerd you are, is stupid.

NO! it means only the stupid people who like to click everything and anything will be affected, those are probably the stupid people who write their pin code to their debit card on the back side of it, or keep their door lock code to their car / house on a piece of paper in their wallet..

stupid is is stupid does..
 
You're missing the point. How it gets installed is less important than the fact that it CAN be installed this way in the first place.

You're focusing on the wrong issue.

In fact, it has a name called "Jailbreaking". How it get installed is as important as it CAN be installed. Do it on your own risk. The moment an iPhone can't be jailbroken, is the moment when all of these problem vanish.
 
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