The Indian government has issued a warning for Apple Watch users about major problems with certain models and operating systems.
The issues have reportedly been found in older Apple Watch models and older versions of the operating system.
These vulnerabilities, found in Apple Watch models prior to 9.5.2 and Apple Watch Series 4 and later, as well as Apple Watch OS versions earlier than 8.8.1, pose a significant security risk.
Vulnerabilities
According to CERT, these vulnerabilities are a result of an integer overflow issue in the kernel components.
Multiple vulnerabilities have been identified in certain Apple Watch models.
These vulnerabilities affect Apple Watch models running software versions prior to 9.5.2, as well as Apple Watch Series 4 and later.
Additionally, the vulnerabilities impact Apple Watch OS versions earlier than 8.8.1, which are available for Apple Watch Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, and Series 7 and SE.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) has discovered several weaknesses that could let hackers get around security measures on Apple Watch devices.
In the event of successful exploitation, these vulnerabilities possess the capability to empower attackers with the ability to execute unauthorised code, granting them kernel privileges on the impacted systems.
CERT-in highlights that the code execution weakness in Apple Watch OS makes the situation even worse.
Implications
Hackers can exploit these weaknesses by using a specifically designed request that takes advantage of the identified problems.
If they succeed, they can run any code they want and get past the current security measures quite easily.
This situation is concerning because it could lead to privacy violations, data breaches, and unauthorised control over the affected Apple Watch devices.
Apple's Response
If you use an Apple Watch, there is no need to worry because Apple has quickly dealt with the problem and released security updates to fix the weaknesses.
To protect your device and personal information, it is important to update your smartwatch to the latest version of Apple WatchOS, which is 8.8.1.
This update includes thorough solutions for the identified weaknesses and makes sure that your Apple Watch is safe from potential attacks.