Apple iCloud Private Relay Leaks Real IPs via 3 WebKit Bypasses as Apple Investigates
Updated
Updated · The Hacker News · Aug 6
Apple iCloud Private Relay Leaks Real IPs via 3 WebKit Bypasses as Apple Investigates
3 articles · Updated · The Hacker News · Aug 6
Summary
Researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk said iCloud Private Relay can expose a user’s real IP address because three WebKit features send traffic directly from the device instead of through Apple’s dual-hop relays.
The bypasses involve DNS prefetching, WebAuthn related-origin requests and WebTransport; the WebAuthn path is especially broad because any site can deliberately trigger the leak without user interaction or passkey use.
WebKit underpins Safari and all iOS and iPadOS browsers, so the issue also reaches macOS and other WebKit-based apps that rely on its proxy APIs, though desktop Chrome is not affected and VPNs can mitigate the leaks.
Apple told 404 Media it is investigating the report, while the researchers published a proof-of-concept site to let users test whether Private Relay is leaking their actual IP address.
The disclosure adds to earlier privacy cracks in Apple’s paid protections, following a 2021 WebRTC-based Private Relay leak and a Hide My Email flaw fixed a little over a month ago.