Highlights:
- Indian Tech Agency warns Apple Watch users of a vulnerability
- Security loopholes can allow attackers to remotely take control of your device
- Apple Watch running of WatchOS 8.7 or older are at risk
Apple Watch users who are running their device on WatchOS 8.7 or older versions have been advised to update to the latest software as soon as possible by the Indian government agency. CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) has suggested, in a report, that the Apple Watch models which are running on older versions of the watchOS are open to a newly discovered vulnerability.
The vulnerability could allow potential attackers to run arbitrary code which would help them bypass security restrictions on the device. This would mean that the attackers could make use of this security flaw to execute commands on your device remotely.
Such commands may include ways to bypass the watch’s security restrictions, allowing the attackers access to private information on the smartwatch including details on your fitness, your texts and perhaps even banking-related details.
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According to CERT-In’s vulnerability note, the vulnerabilities exist in Apple Watch models which are currently running on older Operating Systems owing to various flaws. These include “buffer overflow in AppleAVD component; an authorisation issue in AppleMobileFileIntegrity component; out-of-bounds write in Audio, ICU and WebKit component; type confusion in Multi-Touch component; multiple out-of-bounds write and memory corruption in GPU drivers component,” among others.
The note also said, “A remote attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities by sending a specially-crafted request.
“Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code and bypass security restriction on the targeted system”.
What Can Be Done?
Apple has already released fixes for such vulnerabilities in security with its latest version of watchOS software for compatible models (Apple Watch Series 3 and above). Users can simply update their Apple Watch to implement security patches for these issues.
If you wish to update your Apple Watch, make sure the device has at least 50% battery or is being charged and connected to a Wi-Fi network. Following this simply open the Settings app on the watch itself.
Navigate to General then click on Software Update and if an update is available, follow the on-screen instructions to update your device.
If you see no new update, you would already be on the latest version of WatchOS.
