This is how Apple secures iMessage now better than ever

Apple has a new way to better protect the iMessage messaging service. A technique that other chat apps could take as an example.

Apple BlastDoor: iMessage more secure

With iOS 14, Apple introduced a lot of new features, but one that the company has been quiet about so far is ‘BlastDoor’. A striking name, because a blast door is a large metal door that can even stop an explosion. So that the people on the other side of this very strong door remain safe.

Samuel Groß, a security researcher from Google’s Project Zero, arrives ZDNet how BlastDoor works. He discovered it while investigating a hack targeting Al Jazeera journalists, the hacking attack was the only one that didn’t work on devices running iOS 14.

With the technique, Apple has shielded iMessage from the rest of iOS, so that any messages with malicious data cannot access other apps or data. In the tech world this is also called a ‘sandbox’: a sandbox where the sand cannot get out.

Every message that comes in via iMessage is checked in this safe environment. Even if malicious code is present, it cannot get to the rest of iOS.

Why BlastDoor comes in handy

The addition of BlastDoor is no accident. Several times in the past, hackers have found ways to enter an iPhone through iMessage and steal data. This technique is now putting a stop to that. According to Groß, BlastDoor is “the best Apple could have done to secure iMessage.” The researcher states that this makes the messaging app much more secure.

In recent weeks, many people have become critical of the messaging app they use. When WhatsApp threatened to share data with Facebook, many users decided to switch to apps like Signal and Telegram. Do you still have doubts yourself? In the articles below, we will guide you through the world of messaging apps.