Apple has released security updates to address a persistent denial of service (DoS) vulnerability dubbed doorLock that would altogether disable iPhones and iPads running HomeKit on iOS 14.7 and later. HomeKit is an Apple protocol and framework that allow iOS and iPadOS users to discover and control smart home appliances on their network. As the company explained in a security advisory issued today, the doorLock vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-22588 will crash affected iOS and iPadOS devices when processing maliciously crafted HomeKit accessory names. Apple has addressed this severe resource exhaustion issue in iOS 15.2.1 and iPadOS 15.2.1 by adding improved input validation which no longer allows attackers to disable vulnerable devices.
Devices that received security updates today include iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation). “Four months ago, I discovered and reported a serious denial of service bug in iOS that still remains in the latest release. It persists through reboots and can trigger after restores under certain conditions,” Trevor Spiniolas, the programmer and “beginning security researcher” who spotted and reported the bug. “All the requirements are default settings. When someone sets up their iOS device, everything is already in order for the bug to work. If they accept a malicious home invitation from there, their device stops working.”
Analyst Notes
iOS users should download and apply this update as soon as possible. It is also recommended to set all iOS devices to alert when an update is available.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/apple-fixes-doorlock-bug-that-can-disable-iphones-and-ipads/
