Apple says iOS 15 makes it harder for hackers to steal your identity

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• Apple says iOS 15 makes it harder for hackers to steal your identity

Researchers have discovered some interesting security features in Apple's new iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, including improvements to Face ID's anti-spoofing models. Face ID was one of the big talking points when the iPhone X was announced for launch in 2017, replacing the Touch ID fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device. Tech critics were quick to tweak Apple's implementation, and some have even tried to get around it by using 3D-printed skins.

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Apple itself has now admitted that the previous implementation of facial recognition technology had a vulnerability where "a 3D model built to look like the registered user can authenticate via Face ID."

New and improved

Originally tracked as CVE-2021-30863, the vulnerability is attributed to security researcher Wish Wu of the Ant-financial Light-Year Security Lab. However, its status has since been changed to REJECT, and the reason given is that "this candidate has been removed by the CVE program." Sharing details of the security improvements in the latest version, Apple says it fixed the issue and successfully closed the vulnerability by "improving spoofing models." According to Apple, the fix is ​​applicable to all devices with the TrueDepth Face ID sensor, including iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS (all models), iPhone 11 (all models), iPhone 12 (all models), iPad Pro (11-inch) and iPad Pro (3rd generation). Notably, the fix comes amid a new iPhone 13 leak that shows a potential new front-facing camera setup that could allow the phone to use Face ID facial authentication even when users are wearing masks.