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Researcher finds serious SMS spoofing flaw on iOS

Written By x86_g on 2012-08-18 | 7:42 AM


A security research who goes by the handle "pod2g" has found a serious security vulnerability in the way iOS devices handle SMS messages, warning that this could be exploited by online criminals.
The flaw, which the researcher describes as "severe," exists since the beginning of the implementation of SMS in the iPhone, and is still there in iOS 6 beta 4.
According to a post on pod2g's blog, an attacker can exploit this flaw to send an SMS that seems to come from the receiver's bank asking for sensitive information or luring them to a maliciously rigged web site.   In another scenario, an attacker could send a spoofed text message to an iPhone user to use as false evidence; or send spoofed messages to manipulate iPhone users into thinking they are receving legitimate SMS messages.
Here's the skinny on the problem:
  • If you either own a smartphone, or a modem and an account in a SMS gateway, you can send texts in raw PDU format (some services also exist to send a text with an HTTP request in raw PDU format). For the easiest smartphone option, there are different tools available online. I made one for the iPhone 4 that I will publicize soon.
  • In the text payload, a section called UDH (User Data Header) is optional but defines lot of advanced features not all mobiles are compatible with. One of these options enables the user to change the reply address of the text. If the destination mobile is compatible with it, and if the receiver tries to answer to the text, he will not respond to the original number, but to the specified one.
  • Most carriers don't check this part of the message, which means one can write whatever he wants in this section : a special number like 911, or the number of somebody else. In a good implementation of this feature, the receiver would see the original phone number and the reply-to one. On iPhone, when you see the message, it seems to come from the reply-to number, and you loose track of the origin.
Because of the severity of this flaw, pod2g is calling on Apple to fix this issue before the final release of iOS 6.
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