May 23, 2024 at 01:27PM
Security researchers reverse-engineered Apple’s iOS 17.5.1 update, revealing a bug causing deleted images to reappear. Despite widespread concerns, Apple remained silent. The update fixed the bug, easing privacy worries. Researchers identified changes in the update, which revealed the bug’s cause. Apple’s silence prompted speculation about data policies. BleepingComputer’s attempts to contact Apple went unanswered.
From the meeting notes, it’s clear that security researchers reversed-engineered Apple’s recent iOS 17.5.1 update and found that the bug causing restored images from iOS devices was due to a problem with the iOS itself, not an issue with iCloud. Despite widespread reports of the issue and user concerns, Apple remained silent.
The report on the bug being fixed in the iOS 17.5.1 update can reassure users that Apple was not indefinitely storing deleted media, which would have been a privacy breach. The bug caused images, some from years ago, to reappear on users’ devices despite being deleted. Synactiv’s reverse-engineering of the update revealed changes in the ‘PhotoLibraryServices,’ specifically the ‘PLModelMigrationActionRegistration_17000’ function, which was responsible for re-importing photos from the filesystem. This finding reassured users that Apple isn’t storing their deleted files in the cloud, but it also serves as a reminder that deleted files can persist in memory until overwritten with new data.
BleepingComputer contacted Apple multiple times regarding the bug and Synactiv’s findings but has yet to receive a response.