Apple released a software update fixing a bug allowing law enforcement to extract deleted or disappeared messages from iPhones and iPads. Notifications displaying message content were cached for up to a month. Apple acknowledged the issue in a security notice, stating notifications marked for deletion could be retained unexpectedly. This follows a report by 404 Media that the FBI extracted deleted Signal messages due to cached notifications. Signal president Meredith Whittaker requested a fix, stating deleted message notifications shouldn’t be stored. The bug’s cause is unclear, but the update suggests it was unintended. Apple backported the fix for older iOS 18 users. Privacy activists were concerned by the FBI’s workaround of a security feature crucial for at-risk users, which automatically deletes messages after a set time. Apple hasn’t commented on why notifications were retained.
Apple Addresses Bug Exploited by Cops to Retrieve Deleted iPhone Messages
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