Lacoon Security found Google hasn't yet implemented a security technology that could prevent data loss Apple users accessing Gmail on mobile devices could be at risk of having their data intercepted, a mobile security company said Thursday.The reason is Google has not yet implemented a security technology that would prevent attackers from viewing and modifying encrypted communications exchanged with the Web giant, wrote Avi Bashan, chief information security officer for Lacoon Mobile Security, based in Israel and the U.S.Websites use digital certificates to encrypt data traffic using the SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) protocols. But in some instances, those certificates can be spoofed by attackers, allowing them to observe and decrypt the traffic.That threat can be eliminated through certificate “pinning,” which involves hard coding the details for the legitimate digital certificate into an application. [Apple patches iOS, OS X and Safari on Mega Monday]Unlike for Android, Google doesn’t do this for iOS, which means an attacker could execute a man-in-the-middle attack and read encrypted communications, Bashan wrote. Google acknowledged the problem after being notified by Lacoon on Feb. 24, but the problem has not been fixed, he wrote. Google officials did not have an immediate comment.It isn’t clear why certificate pinning isn’t used by Google on iOS. But three years ago, a Google security engineer that works on such security issues described a scenario where the handling of digital certificates becomes complicated.Occasionally, proxy servers used by companies will intercept HTTPS connections using local, ephemeral certificates, wrote Adam Langley on his personal blog. Some security applications and parental control programs will also do this, he wrote.Those certificates have the authority to override “pins” that have been set to check for a specific certificate, he wrote.Lacoon described an attack scenario that involved tricking a user into installing an iOS device management configuration file that contains a malicious root digital certificate. That would validate a spoofed certificate, allowing the person to navigate to a fraudulent Gmail site.“We were quite surprised by this finding because Google had implemented certificate pinning for their Android Gmail app,” Bashan wrote. “Clearly, not implementing this for iOS was an oversight by Google.” Send news tips and comments to jeremy_kirk@idg.com. Follow me on Twitter: @jeremy_kirk Related content news analysis DHS unveils one common platform for reporting cyber incidents Ahead of CISA cyber incident reporting regulations, DHS issued a report on harmonizing 52 cyber incident reporting requirements, presenting a model common reporting platform that could encompass them all. By Cynthia Brumfield Sep 25, 2023 10 mins Regulation Regulation Regulation news Chinese state actors behind espionage attacks on Southeast Asian government The distinct groups of activities formed three different clusters, each attributed to a specific APT group. By Shweta Sharma Sep 25, 2023 4 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks feature How to pick the best endpoint detection and response solution EDR software has emerged as one of the preeminent tools in the CISO’s arsenal. Here’s what to look for and what to avoid when choosing EDR software. By Linda Rosencrance Sep 25, 2023 10 mins Intrusion Detection Software Security Monitoring Software Data and Information Security feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Data and Information Security IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe