Apple's ITP Technology Poses Security Risks To Safari, Claims Google

By Kunwar Kunal

| Published: Thursday, January 23, 2020, 12:03 [IST]

Apple has always been one of the most reliable brands when it comes to privacy protection. But the latest research by Google looks shocking. According to search-giant, Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature is posing security vulnerability to its Safari browser. Due to the flaws in Safari, potential hackers can get easy access to users' browsing and search history. While Apple claims to have fixed the ITP loopholes, a paper by Google reveals that these flaws still have limits.

Apple's ITP Technology Poses Security Risks To Safari, Claims Google

The research paper, by Google, claims that the security loopholes will also let different websites track your activity while browsing. Google officials stated that it has remained the brand's core ideology to make sure no companies with which, Google has worked, face no security risks. Hereby, also ensuring the complete safety of potential users.

Google went on to add that it has also worked closely with Apple on this issue, and has constantly kept the Cupertino-giant updated. It was back in 2017 when Apple introduced the ITP feature to Safari. The technology was developed to protect Safari users from hackers and other websites. The feature simply tracks the use and purpose of different websites and eventually blocks them, for security concerns.

While tracking, ITP logs on these websites as powerful domains. After noticing the breaching data from these websites that would allow ad makers to identify the Safari user, ITP automatically adds a record of different logs to its directory. The paper claims that even after logging these websites, the potential hackers have found easy access for the backdoor entry. As the various logs would indirectly produce a user's detailed web history.

The Google researchers said that websites would easily find whether the used domains were available on the ITP list or not. After the list matches with that of the searched domains, the entire ITP directory will be corrupted, escalating higher security risks. Because of the flaws, your access to some websites would get blocked after crucial information leaks.

Even earlier, Apple failed to protect the privacy of users when it introduced the "Do Not Track" feature to Safari. Due to the feature, other websites found an easy and better way to track users, by making these users' browser settings.