Google’s Project Zero describes a (now fixed) zero-click exploit in iMessage, and, well, it’s kind of insane.
JBIG2 doesn’t have scripting capabilities, but when combined with a vulnerability, it does have the ability to emulate circuits of arbitrary logic gates operating on arbitrary memory. So why not just use that to build your own computer architecture and script that!? That’s exactly what this exploit does. Using over 70,000 segment commands defining logical bit operations, they define a small computer architecture with features such as registers and a full 64-bit adder and comparator which they use to search memory and perform arithmetic operations. It’s not as fast as Javascript, but it’s fundamentally computationally equivalent.
Mother of god.
“Closed source” is not broken.
Heartbleed, Shellsock no one is oerfect no matter if your source is open ore clised
Nearly all software can be broken because the majority of software doesn’t undergo rigorous vulnerability testing or better yet proofs whether it’s open or close sourced.
The bug was in an open source component (Xpdf)
In that case where could i download iMessage app source code and check the source myself. Due to the license Xpdf uses that must be possible.
OK fair point as i read and checked the technical details involved in more detail. On what went wrong on Apple side and what portion of Xpdf logic they exploited. Hence i will change my initial remark to “Open source” and “Closed source” are not broken. That should make a rather nice meme.
File formats are a kind of programming language, they have a grammar, and when you start adding features beyond a literal representation of data it’s very easy to accidentally make it Turing-complete.