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Well, it’s not just antitrust lawsuits spoiling Apple’s week.
There's a bit of a hitch with Apple's new M-series chips (M1, M2, and M3) in 2020 and later Macs. Security researchers discovered a weakness in the data memory-dependent prefetcher (DMP) that could potentially expose the secret codes used to scramble your data on your Mac.
Security experts have long known that classical prefetchers open a side channel that malicious processes can probe to obtain secret key material from cryptographic operations.
In response, cryptographic engineers have devised constant-time programming, an approach that ensures that all operations take the same amount of time to complete, but it can slow down processing.
Here's the non-techy breakdown:
Macs use special tools to predict what information you might need next, kind of like the suggestions for words when you text.
This makes Macs processing faster, but in this case, it backfires. The prediction tool can sometimes mix things up and grab secret info (like your encryption key) instead.
Hackers could potentially exploit this mix-up to steal your secret keys. This could mess with things that rely on strong encryption, like secure messaging or online banking.
The not-so-great news:
This weakness is built into the actual chip silicon itself, so Apple can't just fix it with a simple software update.
There's a new attack called "GoFetch" that can take advantage of this flaw, potentially allowing attackers to steal your encryption keys.
The almost-good news:
Software developers can build in extra security features to protect your data, but this might slow down your Mac, especially on older M1 and M2 models.
What you can do:
Don’t panic.
Keep an eye out for updates to your Mac software, especially those that involve encryption. These updates might include the new security features mentioned above.
Since we're not sure exactly which programs are vulnerable yet, it's best to be cautious and assume they all might be at risk for now.
The bottom line:
There's a new security concern with Apple M-series chips, but Apple, security, and other software developers are working on ways to protect your data. Stay updated with your software and be cautious until a more permanent fix is available.
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Oh Hello! I’m Angela "Ange Gos" Payton - The Securista. I've reverse-engineered malware and as the tech copywriter, I made tech jargon understandable for everyday people. Retiring from the Security and Response team at Symantec didn't end my cybersecurity life.
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