Friday, March 29, 2024

iOS Application can Extract Your Geo-Location Details From Image Metadata

A malicious iOS app can gain access to image Library and get your location from the image metadata. Which leads to serious privacy issue.

Felix Krause Founder of Fastlane tools found this issue iOS permission issue last week. With this permission issue, any camera app that has access to image library can extract the user locations from the image metadata.

Krause says, there should be an alternate authorization for applications that to choose a photograph and applications that oversee or alter pictures. They’re altogether consolidated under a similar class of permission.

Additionally, use of the native image picker should be enforced by Apple, and apps that use a custom one will be rejected.

The app will not edit your photo library in any way – iOS photos permission is smart and only grants immutable access, meaning in theory, the app could add new pictures, but not edit/delete existing ones.

EXIF DATA – Tracking Photos- Image Metadata

EXIF data which is Exchangeable image file format according to Japan Electronic Industries Development Association which specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras (including smartphones), scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras.

Also Read Tracking Photo’s Geo-location with GPS EXIF DATA – Forensic Analysis

The Exif format has standard tags for location information. As of 2014 many cameras and most mobile phones have a built-in GPS receiver that stores the location information in the Exif header when a picture is taken.

The process of adding geographic information to a photograph is known as geotagging. Photo-sharing communities like Panoramio or Flickr equally allow their users to upload geocoded pictures or to add geolocation information online.

  • Get a past filled with the urban areas, nations, and different spots a client has gone to, as long as they took a photo there
  • Get an entire rundown of the client’s cameras and photography gadgets (which iPhones, Android telephones, cameras) and to what extent they utilized every gadget
  • Discover the client’s work environment, by making sense of where they are from 9 to 5
  • Utilize facial recognization to discover who the client hangs out with and who their accomplice is. Is the client single?

Specifically, an application can get the accompanying information:

  • The correct area of every benefit
  • The physical speed in which the photo/video was taken (how quick did the camera move)
  • The camera shows the correct date + time and other EXIF picture metadata

PoC Code and Demo App by Felix Krause

Felix published PoC and steps to reproduce the issue, also he coded a DetectLocations app which shows your pictures on a map visualized.

Also, it shows pictures that were taken on transport (e.g. car, plane), so it’s easier to find them.

Website

Latest articles

Beware Of Weaponized Air Force invitation PDF Targeting Indian Defense And Energy Sectors

EclecticIQ cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a cyberespionage operation dubbed "Operation FlightNight" targeting Indian government...

WarzoneRAT Returns Post FBI Seizure: Utilizing LNK & HTA File

The notorious WarzoneRAT malware has made a comeback, despite the FBI's recent efforts to...

Google Revealed Kernel Address Sanitizer To Harden Android Firmware And Beyond

Android devices are popular among hackers due to the platform’s extensive acceptance and open-source...

Compromised SaaS Supply Chain Apps: 97% of Organizations at Risk of Cyber Attacks

Businesses increasingly rely on Software as a Service (SaaS) applications to drive efficiency, innovation,...

IT and security Leaders Feel Ill-Equipped to Handle Emerging Threats: New Survey

A comprehensive survey conducted by Keeper Security, in partnership with TrendCandy Research, has shed...

How to Analyse .NET Malware? – Reverse Engineering Snake Keylogger

Utilizing sandbox analysis for behavioral, network, and process examination provides a foundation for reverse...

GoPlus’s Latest Report Highlights How Blockchain Communities Are Leveraging Critical API Security Data To Mitigate Web3 Threats

GoPlus Labs, the leading Web3 security infrastructure provider, has unveiled a groundbreaking report highlighting...
Guru baran
Guru baranhttps://gbhackers.com
Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

Mitigating Vulnerability Types & 0-day Threats

Mitigating Vulnerability & 0-day Threats

Alert Fatigue that helps no one as security teams need to triage 100s of vulnerabilities.

  • The problem of vulnerability fatigue today
  • Difference between CVSS-specific vulnerability vs risk-based vulnerability
  • Evaluating vulnerabilities based on the business impact/risk
  • Automation to reduce alert fatigue and enhance security posture significantly

Related Articles