Apple's Private Relay Tool Leaks Users' IP Addresses
Security researchers discovered three WebKit flaws that expose users' real IP addresses despite using Apple's Private Relay tool. The issue affects all Apple browsers, including Safari. Tor and Psylo browsers have issued fixes, but Apple has not confirmed a patch. The flaws bypass proxy settings and send traffic directly from the device, revealing users' real DNS servers and IP addresses.
Key points
- Security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk found three WebKit flaws that leak real IP addresses.
- The flaws bypass proxy settings and send traffic directly from the device, exposing users' real DNS servers and IP addresses.
- Tor and Psylo browsers have issued fixes for the issue, but Apple has not confirmed a patch.
- The flaws affect all Apple browsers, including Safari, which uses the WebKit engine.
- Private Relay, a feature available with iCloud+, is supposed to hide users' IP addresses and encrypt Safari web traffic.
Apple's Private Relay Tool Leaks Users' IP Addresses
Security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk have discovered three WebKit flaws that expose users' real IP addresses despite using Apple's Private Relay tool. The issue affects all Apple browsers, including Safari, and has been confirmed by Tor and Psylo browsers, which have issued fixes. However, Apple has not yet confirmed a patch.
Private Relay is a feature available with iCloud+ that is supposed to hide users' IP addresses and encrypt Safari web traffic. However, the three WebKit flaws bypass proxy settings and send traffic directly from the device, revealing users' real DNS servers and IP addresses.
The researchers noted that the flaws are available in WebKit since iOS 18.0, iOS 26.0, and iOS 26.4. The discovery of these flaws highlights the importance of ongoing security research and the need for companies like Apple to prioritize patching vulnerabilities in their software.
Sources
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