Apple iOS 14 integrates a new security shield called BlastDoor in a bid to protect its users from attacks carried out using iMessage.

A researcher from Google stumbled on the new iOS security system that Apple called BlastDoor. The Cupertino tech giant integrated the sandbox security system with its iOS 14 update to protect users against attacks using the iOS device's iMessage instant messaging client.

Apparently, the BlastDoor sandbox security system is already included in Apple's iOS 14, which the company released last fall. Cupertino meant for the feature to add a new layer of security system to its iPads and iPhones to protect users better against attacks that hackers might carry out using the devices' iMessage app.

A Basic Sandbox 

A security researcher with Google stumbled upon Apple's new sandbox security system, BlastDoor, during a routine checkup. The security researcher is with Project Zero, Google's security group tasked with the mission to find vulnerabilities and security loopholes in commonly-used apps. According to Samuel Groß, a Project Zero security researcher, he was poking around the iOS 14 when he found the security feature.

Groß said that the BlastDoor, which apparently came with Apple's iOS 14 update last fall, is a basic sandbox security system, a type of protection that runs code separately from a device's main operating system. Although iOS includes several sandbox mechanisms, BlastDoor is a new feature that runs only at the iMessage app level. The security researcher a Citizen Lab report revealing that the attackers' zero-days ceased working after the release of iOS 14 prompted him to investigate the operating system's internals.

The Role of BlastDoor 

The security researcher said that it appears the sandbox security system's role is to capture incoming messages, unpack and process the messages' content inside an isolated and secured environment. If the message contains any hidden malicious code, BlastDoor, the sandbox security system brought along by Apple's iOS 14 update last fall, ensures that it cannot interact with any code within the operating system, or does any harm. BlastDoor also makes sure that the malicious code cannot retrieve user data.

The need for a sandbox security system like BlastDoor became obvious after many security researchers pointed out in the past that Apple's iMessage service is doing a poor job of ensuring incoming user data is safe. During the past couple of years, there were multiple instances where security researchers found iMessage remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities. Real-world attackers used these bugs to develop exploits, which allowed them to assume control over an iOS device just by simply sending it a text message, a video, or photo. With the arrival of BlastDoor with iOS 14, security experts said such instances could be minimized.