Siri bug in iOS 11 enables access to hidden notifications

Siri privacy bug lets it read out most hidden message content on a locked iPhone

As spotted by Mac Magazine, anybody can ask Apple's digital assistant Siri to read out the notifications on the handset and it simply will read it out loud.

On iOS 11, Apple introduced a new way to protect user privacy by letting you hide the contents of your notifications on your iPhone's lock screen until you unlock the device with Touch ID or Face ID.

Ironically, the Apple Messages app seems to be somewhat immune from the bug because you need to say "Ok Siri read my messages". The latest update, iOS 11.2.6 has some bad UI issues and fails to address the battery drain issue.

As per a report in Mashable, Apple has responded to the findings and said that it was "aware" of the bug and that a fix was on its way.

Body Of Missing St. Joe's Player Mark Dombroski Found By Bermuda Police
Joseph's University went missing over the weekend in Bermuda, and the local police have asked for help in locating him. Dombroski was competing in a tournament with the school's rugby team and was last seen at a bar early Sunday .

We're not sure when exactly the fix will arrive, but it's possible that it might come in iOS 11.3, which is now in beta, or even possibly in iOS 11.2.7 if Apple were to release a minor update. Siri didn't check to make sure the owner of the phone was the person who was asking. iMessages and SMS texts were still kept private from being read aloud, but Facebook Messenger, Slack, email apps like Apple's own Mail app, and more could all have messages read by Siri.

Apple has already issued a statement that says it is "aware" of the bug and is now working on a fix.

It goes without saying that the bug is pretty serious and leaves messages you think are hidden behind a wall of security completely exposed to anyone who wants access to them.

Another workaround for the iOS bug requires you to completely disable Siri whenever your iPhone is locked. There is a toggle there that reads "Allow Siri When Locked".

Related News:

21 March 2018

MS governor signs 15-week abortion ban; clinic files suit
The law also requires doctors who perform abortions after 15 weeks to submit reports detailing the circumstances of each case. The law bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, down from a 20-week restriction already on Mississippi's books.

20 March 2018

Spring begins Tuesday; a little snow possible Wednesday
That's a major upgrade in the expected snow totals from earlier forecasts, which showed our region getting just 1 to 2 inches. They note that in recent years, models have trended northwest on storms' approach to produce several significant snows.

20 March 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 hits the PS4 on August 28th, 2018
A remastered version of the 2006 title Yakuza 2 for the PlayStation 2, the game is scheduled to release this coming August 28. New minigames include Yakuza 0's Cabaret, something called Golf Bingo, plus the original arcade release of Virtual-On.
24 March 2018

US Announces $1 Billion in Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
Later on Thursday, Washington formally approved defense contracts totalling more than $1 billion with Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon said that Mattis did not raise concerns over civilian casualties with Salman.

22 March 2018

Liquidation sale at Toys R Us in Flint Township begins Friday
Toys R Us hopes to start liquidations sales at most of its USA stores on Thursday and complete those sales by the end of June. The sales will start of on the lower end, around 25 percent, with an increase in discount happening in the coming weeks.

22 March 2018

Trump's focus is money as Saudi prince visits
He is on a public relations blitz while travelling in the United States, with stops in New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.
24 March 2018

Stephen Curry injures knee in Warriors' win over Hawks
Stephen Curry (right) warms up with assistant coach Bruce Fraser before the Warriors' game against the Hawks. Curry had rolled the ankle at Atlanta on March 2 but initially kept playing before re-injuring it again.

22 March 2018

First Responders, staff praised for quick reaction to shooting
A school resource officer engaged the shooter after he started firing, quickly containing the situation, Cameron told reporters. But it could have dragged on longer and proven deadlier were it not for the rapid response of a school resource officer.

20 March 2018

Narendra Modi congratulates Vladimir Putin on reelection as Russian president
His nearest rival, Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, won 11.8% while nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky got 5.6%. The CEC said earlier on Monday it had not registered any serious complaints of violations.
24 March 2018

Group uses mobile technology to fight TB
March 24 is World TB Day , a good day to take a small action to honor the 1.7 million people who died past year of TB. Of the 10.4 million people who caught the disease past year , too few have been properly diagnosed or treated.

24 March 2018

Rounds happy with military spending in new bill
Of the 234 Republicans in the House of Representatives, only 67 voted against the February bill that would expand budget spending. Thus, his conservative agenda was stripped away, in a pragmatic move to take the "throw him out of the WH" pressure.

21 March 2018

US, South Korea announce start date for military exercises
He said they were not in response to any specific North Korean actions or the current situation on the Korean peninsula. The concerts come ahead of an inter-Korean summit slated for late April at Panmunjom.