An ‘unfoldable’ flaw in Apple’s M-series chip could allow access to encrypted data.

New academic findings have revealed a serious vulnerability in Apple's M-series chips, which could give malicious actors the ability to obtain secret encryption keys from MacBook devices.

The report – published on March 21 by a select group of researchers from several US universities – identified the vulnerability as a side-channel exploit, which allows hackers to illegally obtain end-to-end encryption keys while Apple chips execute commonly used encryption protocols. .

However, unlike typical vulnerabilities that can be patched directly, this particular issue is deeply rooted in the microarchitectural design of the silicon itself, making it “unbendable”.

Third-party cryptographic software must be used to properly address the flaw, and it can severely disrupt Apple's M-series chips, especially early iterations such as the M1 and M2 chips.

These findings reveal a major flaw and challenge to Apple's hardware security infrastructure. Hackers can exploit memory access patterns to extract sensitive information, such as encryption keys used by encryption applications.

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The researchers named this type of hack the “GoFetch” exploit. The hack works seamlessly in the user environment and requires only standard user rights similar to those required by standard applications.

After the study surfaced, users in online Mac forums began questioning whether or not password keychains were a serious concern or necessary step.

One user said they believed Apple would directly mitigate the problem in the operating system — but if not, they'd be “more worried.”

Another user said that this flaw has been known to Apple for some time and pointed out why the Apple M3 “has additional instructions to disable DMP.” The previous research on the topic by the user is called “Auguri” and it is in 2022.

The finding comes as Apple finds itself in a wide-ranging antitrust lawsuit with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which claims Apple's App Store rules and “monopoly” illegally stifled competition and stifled innovation.

The DOJ also alleges that Apple has cut off access to competing digital wallets that offer “improved features” and is preventing developers from delivering their own payment services to consumers.

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