ODD AND SERIOUS QUESTION: Can Apple cables be tampered with?

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

Hey guys,

I know this is an odd question, but I'm 100% serious in my need to know the answer and it's been causing me a lot of mental anguish. I've been really struggling a lot recently with my life.

Recently, I bought a "Lightning To USB Cable" for my iPad Mini 3 from the official Apple Online Store and it arrived at my home. However, there are multiple people that live in my current home. I opened the "Lightning to USB Cable" and it was left out on a table in my home where it's easy for the other people I live with to access it and use it. It was left out for several days.

My big worry is this: Is it possible that the "Lightning To USB Cable" was tampered with in some way that could effect my iPad Mini 3? For example, could someone have tampered with the "Lightning to USB Cable" in such a way to be able to be able to access my files on my iPad Mini 3 or alter my files on my iPad Mini 3?

Thank you for understanding my problem. 😥 😥 😥

 

[RedTomato]

Nope.

The cable doesn't contain chips. It's just a bunch of metal wires.

If you are concerned about security, then change your lock password on the iPad, and change your iCloud password (if you use it.)

Before you change your iCloud Apple ID password, take a look at this Apple page which tells you which devices are signed into your Apple ID.

Also review all your other cloud sync services - Chrome, Mail, Dropbox, OneDrive, Gmail etc. Most of them can show you which other devices are signed into your account. Change passwords for any services that you are concerned about.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

Thank you for your reply RedTomato!

I keep reading about so many new exploits and ways that people are able to hack people's devices that it's made me "super aware" of all kinds of possible security breaches...

 

[Lsmachado]

Nope.

The cable doesn't contain chips. It's just a bunch of metal wires.

If you are concerned about security, then change your lock password on the iPad, and change your iCloud password (if you use it.)

Before you change your iCloud Apple ID password, take a look at this Apple page which tells you which devices are signed into your Apple ID.

Also review all your other cloud sync services - Chrome, Mail, Dropbox, OneDrive, Gmail etc. Most of them can show you which other devices are signed into your account. Change passwords for any services that you are concerned about.

Probably nothing to worry about, unless someone wanted to spend some money to do it (and if they‘re underhanded enough to do it), apparently there are some cables that have been made specifically to try and steal someone’s information.

I’m so naive I guess, that I didn’t even know such a thing existed! I thought I was a fairly careful person, but I never would have thought twice about borrowing someone’s charging cable. OMG. People can be so unscrupulous!

A researcher made a Lightning cable that can hack your computer

Nothing is sacred

www.theverge.com

 

[TiggrToo]

Thank you for your reply RedTomato!

I keep reading about so many new exploits and ways that people are able to hack people's devices that it's made me "super aware" of all kinds of possible security breaches...

Not to feed in your paranoia, but sadly @RedTomato is not totally correct.

It is certainly possible to construct Lightening cables designed to steal data etc.

This New Lightning Cable Can Hijack Your Computer, Looks Apple-Built | Digital Trends

A security researcher has developed a new Lightning cable that looks like it was built by Apple, but that can actually allow hackers to remotely take control of the computer that it's plugged into. The cable looks and works like a normal Lightning cable apart from that.

www.digitaltrends.com

That all said, the risk is monumentally low.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

Wow, thank you for your replies!

Is there any way I can be sure that the "Lightning to USB Cable" I bought from the Apple Store hasn't been tampered with?

This is a really important question for me so I'd appreciate any input!

 

[Lsmachado]

Wow, thank you for your replies!

Is there any way I can be sure that the "Lightning to USB Cable" I bought from the Apple Store hasn't been tampered with?

This is a really important question for me so I'd appreciate any input!

They would have to be pretty tech-savvy to do it. The cables referenced above were manufactured specifically for stealing data. IIRC, it costs about $100.00 for a single cable.

 

[Allan in T.Dot]

Anything can be hacked as mentioned above, it really isn't that hard for someone who has some money to spare, google search abilities, and minimal hardware skills.

The real question is, do you have anything so valuable in your possession that someone in your own household would want to hack it. And also, if you were so paranoid about being hacked, why would you leave your stuff lying around?

If you can't address these two questions above with reasonable answers then I wouldn't worry about stuff like this and read less from the internet and talk more with professionals about your life issues - and this is from a professional in the healthcare field.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

They would have to be pretty tech-savvy to do it. The cables referenced above were manufactured specifically for stealing data. IIRC, it costs about $100.00 for a single cable.

Anything can be hacked as mentioned above, it really isn't that hard for someone who has some money to spare, google search abilities, and minimal hardware skills.

The real question is, do you have anything so valuable in your possession that someone in your own household would want to hack it. And also, if you were so paranoid about being hacked, why would you leave your stuff lying around?

If you can't address these two questions above with reasonable answers then I wouldn't worry about stuff like this and read less from the internet and talk more with professionals about your life issues - and this is from a professional in the healthcare field.

Thank you for your replies Ismachado and Allan!

I've been searching on Google and I can't seem to find much information about cables being "hacked"...

Is there some kind of test I can do to make sure that the cable is safe for me to use?

Sorry for being an annoyance but this serious issue has been a huge burden for me... 😓 😓 😓

 

[laptech]

Thank you for your replies Ismachado and Allan!

I've been searching on Google and I can't seem to find much information about cables being "hacked"...

Is there some kind of test I can do to make sure that the cable is safe for me to use?

Sorry for being an annoyance but this serious issue has been a huge burden for me... 😓 😓 😓

The cable you bought from Apple will be ok to use, it wouldn't have been hacked. Now the issue is with the rest of the people in the property, can they be trusted because if not then it is possible for one of them to prchase one of these hacked cables and replace it with the one you bought from Apple and you would have no way of knowing.

O.MG Cable

The O.MG Cable is a hand made USB cable with an advanced implant hidden inside. It is designed to allow your Red Team to emulate attack scenarios of sophisticated adversaries. Until now, a cable like this would cost $20,000 (ex: NSA's COTTONMOUTH-I). These cables will allow you to test new...

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The ONLY way a hacked cable is going to get attached to your ipad is if someone in your building purchases that cable and swaps it with the one you bought from Apple.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

Thank you very much for your reply Laptech!

After I plugin the "Lightning to USB Cable" to my iPad is there any way I can check if I've been hacked?

I can see your link, but clicking on it makes me feel nervous...

 

[laptech]

Thank you very much for your reply Laptech!

After I plugin the "Lightning to USB Cable" to my iPad is there any way I can check if I've been hacked?

I can see your link, but clicking on it makes me feel nervous...

If someone in your building was to replace the cable you bought from Apple with the hacked one from that company, no, there is no way you would know.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

If someone in your building was to replace the cable you bought from Apple with the hacked one from that company, no, there is no way you would know.

Thank you for your reply Laptech.

I'm feeling so much anxiety about this now... It's highly unlikely that my Lightning to USB Cable has been hacked as it would require someone to physically do something with the cable right?

 

[laptech]

Thank you for your reply Laptech.

I'm feeling so much anxiety about this now... It's highly unlikely that my Lightning to USB Cable has been hacked as it would require someone to physically do something with the cable right?

Correct

 

[laptech]

Currently 'Hacked' Lightening to USB-C cable ONLY comes in color of White nothing else. If you buy a cable that is not white, you are safe. If you purchase a different color and then you notice someone has replaced it with a white cable, then you can be concerned.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

Thanks for your reply Laptech, but I only have a "Lightning to USB cable" as it's for an old iPad Mini 3.

I don't understand how the colours make a difference??? The cable I have is white in colour. 😢 😢 😢

 

[Analog Kid]

The cable doesn't contain chips. It's just a bunch of metal wires.

The lighting cable does contain chips:

OP, I don't know your situation, but this isn't the kind of hack that you'd encounter randomly. If this is your personal cable (not an airport charge port, for example) then someone would need to be targeting you personally, have the knowledge that such a hack is possible, and believe that either the data they gather or the mental anguish they're causing you is worth the time and expense to pursue.

If you have reason to believe you are in that very small group of potential victims, then I would recommend keeping the suspect cable after you replace it. It might serve as useful evidence in the future.

 

[Lsmachado]

Thanks for your reply Laptech, but I only have a "Lightning to USB cable" as it's for an old iPad Mini 3.

I don't understand how the colours make a difference??? The cable I have is white in colour. 😢 😢 😢

Because the cables that are manufactured solely for data theft are supposedly strictly white in color, outwardly indistinguishable from Apple’s.

 

[laptech]

Thanks for your reply Laptech, but I only have a "Lightning to USB cable" as it's for an old iPad Mini 3.

I don't understand how the colours make a difference??? The cable I have is white in colour. 😢 😢 😢

Error on my part for mix up on the cable type. but my point is that the hacking cable ONLY comes in the color white and it is indistinguishable from a genuine white Apple cable. Because the hacking cable is only available in white, if you was to purchase a "Lightning to USB cable" in a different color you know that it's not a hacked cable and therefore using it on your ipad is safe.

Lets for arguments sake say you purchase a blue Lightning to USB cable. Blue is safe because you know white color is used for hacked cable. You leave the blue cable lying around the place. Then one day you notice that the blue cable is gone but a white cable has appeared in it's place. You know hacked cables come in white therefore you know immediately to be suspicious of that cable.