Apple will lastly deal with a Safari restriction workaround that has been round for years after the bug was highlighted by The Wall Avenue Journal‘s Joanna Stern. Youngsters who’re restricted from viewing sure web sites with the Display screen Time function are capable of paste a string of characters within the deal with bar in Safari with the intention to get round parental controls.
In a report on Display screen Time, Stern says that she was ready to make use of a string of characters on her son’s iPad, bypassing the restrictions that forestall entry to web sites with pornography, violent pictures, and extra. She was capable of get round Display screen Time on units operating iOS and iPadOS 15, 16, and 17, in addition to macOS Sonoma.
In a press release to Stern, Apple stated that it’s conscious of an “issue with an underlying web technology protocol for developers, which allows a user to bypass web content restrictions.” A repair is deliberate for “the next software update.”
Safety researchers that spoke to Stern stated the bug was first reported to Apple in March of 2021, after it was discovered that inputting a string of characters would get round web site restrictions applied by mother and father and internet blacklists on firm units. The hack labored to bypass restrictions on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Apple advised the researchers that it was not a safety challenge, and as a substitute directed them to submit a report utilizing the Suggestions device. After the report was submitted, there was no phrase again from Apple. Making an attempt to resubmit the bug to Apple was met with no response.
Apple ignored the difficulty for 3 years till Stern was contacted and publicized the issue. It seems that the workaround was not well-known or broadly exploited, as the 2 safety researchers that found it by no means shared it.
Along with promising a repair, Apple stated that it’s dedicated to enhancing the method that is used to obtain and escalate bug stories.
Stern’s report highlights a number of different bugs with Display screen Time, together with points with app limits, Display screen Time utilization charts, notifications for extra time, and Ask to Purchase. Apple improved Display screen Time with iOS 17.5, implementing fixes for app and machine utilization monitoring, app limits, and time requests, however the firm says there will probably be further updates in upcoming software program releases.