Apple Disputes Some Details of Google's Project Zero Report on iOS Security Vulnerabilities [Updated]

Google's Project Zero last week shared details about multiple serious iOS vulnerabilities that allowed malicious websites to access a victim's phone. There were a total of 14 vulnerabilities that were being exploited, and while those have now been fixed, some of the security holes were abused for several years.

Apple today responded to Google's Project Zero blog post in an effort to address customer concerns with all of the facts.

trio iphones ios
Apple says the attack was "narrowly-focused" rather than a broad-based exploit of iPhones as described. Fewer than a dozen websites targeting Uighur Muslims were affected, according to Apple. Further, Apple says that Google created a false impression of mass exploitation, causing fear among iPhone owners.

Google also got the length of the attacks wrong. Apple says the websites were operational for approximately two months rather than two years, with the vulnerabilities fixed 10 days after Apple learned about them. Fixes were already in the works when Google approached Apple.

Apple's full letter is included below:

Last week, Google published a blog about vulnerabilities that Apple fixed for iOS users in February. We've heard from customers who were concerned by some of the claims, and we want to make sure all of our customers have the facts.

First, the sophisticated attack was narrowly focused, not a broad-based exploit of iPhones "en masse" as described. The attack affected fewer than a dozen websites that focus on content related to the Uighur community. Regardless of the scale of the attack, we take the safety and security of all users extremely seriously.

Google's post, issued six months after iOS patches were released, creates the false impression of "mass exploitation" to "monitor the private activities of entire populations in real time," stoking fear among all iPhone users that their devices had been compromised. This was never the case.

Second, all evidence indicates that these website attacks were only operational for a brief period, roughly two months, not "two years" as Google implies. We fixed the vulnerabilities in question in February -- working extremely quickly to resolve the issue just 10 days after we learned about it. When Google approached us, we were already in the process of fixing the exploited bugs.

Security is a never-ending journey and our customers can be confident we are working for them. iOS security is unmatched because we take end-to-end responsibility for the security of our hardware and software. Our product security teams around the world are constantly iterating to introduce new protections and patch vulnerabilities as soon as they're found. We will never stop our tireless work to keep our users safe.

According to Google, the websites in question that targeted ‌iPhone‌ users were able to steal private data like messages, photos, and GPS location in real time with little effort after a visitor went to an infected website.

Google believes thousands of visitors accessed these websites per week over two years, with the vulnerability present in iOS 10, iOS 11, and iOS 12. Apple addressed the issues in iOS 12.1.4 back in February 2019.

In a statement to The Verge, Google said that it stands by its original report despite Apple's comments.

Project Zero posts technical research that is designed to advance the understanding of security vulnerabilities, which leads to better defensive strategies. We stand by our in-depth research which was written to focus on the technical aspects of these vulnerabilities. We will continue to work with Apple and other leading companies to help keep people safe online.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...

Top Rated Comments

Khedron Avatar
74 months ago
Apple is just spinning their standard "a small number of customers were affected" narrative

If they genuinely disagreed with Google's claims they'd lawyer up
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sulpfiction Avatar
74 months ago
Googles mission statement is to exploit it's users. Hello Kettle.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlterZgo Avatar
74 months ago
“Don’t be evil...” unless it’s an opportunity to trash your strongest competitor, then go head and lie, fabricate stuff, misstate and exaggerate.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnomeisland Avatar
74 months ago
Hope Apple does this to google. Finds vulnerabilities and work their propaganda to hurt Google
I hope they don’t. It’s very unethical. However if it was at all intentional on Google’s part I hope it gets included in their various on-going anti trust investigations.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NickName99 Avatar
74 months ago
And now we know why Google didn’t release a list of the websites affected, and why they waited until right before the iPhone 11 release to talk about it.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnomeisland Avatar
74 months ago
While I generally think Apple is one of the most ethical corporations ATM, I’m not sure who to believe.

If Apple’s right, then Google’s misrepresentations are damaging, bordering on libel coming from a close competitor. Their reports did a lot of damage to the narrative that iOS is more secure than Android (not that Android hasn’t come a long way).
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)