Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • Applications
    • Cybersecurity
    • PC Hardware

    Apple Users Wait for iCal Patches

    Written by

    Brian Prince
    Published May 22, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Patches for three publicly disclosed bugs affecting Apple’s iCal application have yet to become a reality.

      The bugs are related to the improper sanitizing of certain fields of iCal calendar files, and can be exploited to launch denial-of-service attacks or to take over vulnerable machines. The vulnerabilities were uncovered in January by researchers from Core Security Technologies, and the security vendor’s chief technology officer told eWEEK the company felt it could no longer wait for Apple to fix the issues.

      “The original idea was to publish after the fixes came out,” said Ivan Arce, Core Security’s CTO. “It just didn’t happened that the fixes came out…[as] originally planned by Apple.”

      After months of back and forth, Core Security decided to disclose the bugs May 21 after Apple told the vendor the fixes would be ready May 19. But when Apple failed to deliver a round of patches as promised, the company decided to go ahead and issue an advisory, Arce said.

      Apple spokesperson Anuj Nayar said the company would not comment on when the bugs would be fixed.

      Apple’s Delay Increases Likelihood of .ics Exploits

      The most serious of the bugs is the result of a memory corruption vulnerability that can be triggered if a user runs a malicious .ics (iCal calendar file). The other two are null-pointer errors caused when parsing malformed .ics files, Core researchers wrote in the advisory.

      Wednesday, researchers wrote only version 3.0.1 of iCal running on the Mac OS X 10.5.1 platform is vulnerable, however, Arce added the most recent version of iCal is vulnerable as well.

      The flaws can be exploited by enticing a user into clicking on a malicious .ics file sent through e-mail or via compromised Web sites, the advisory said. In addition, the flaws can be exploited without direct user involvement if the attacker has the ability to legitimately add or modify calendar files on a CalDAV server.

      Until a patch is ready, Arce advised users to be weary of .ics received from unknown sources.

      “Disclosing information about a vulnerability…may help the bad guys, but fundamentally it’s much more important to help the good guys protect themselves,” Arce said. “So after a period of time has passed since the original disclosure…it becomes more and more probable that the vulnerability will be widely known even if you don’t disclose.”

      Brian Prince
      Brian Prince

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×