There has been an online report of a flaw in GPU security, as reported by Trail of Bits. The researchers stated that millions of Apple iPhones and MacBooks, as well as devices with AMD or Qualcomm chips, are affected.
The issue, which has been named LeftoverLocals, concerns GPU memory that stores AI data and uses the graphics unit rather than the SoC. This vulnerability allows hackers to extract personal information that is easily accessible on the local memory of the GPU.
Apple has confirmed that it is aware of the problem and has already fixed some devices with the M3 or A17 Bionic chip, but older iPhone 12 Pro, iPads, and M2 MacBook Air devices are still at risk.
The exploit affects devices with GPUs from Apple, AMD, Qualcomm, and Imagination, while Nvidia, Arm, and Intel are not impacted.
As graphics units become more complex and are required to perform more tasks over time, their code becomes increasingly long and unprotected. Hackers can use less than 10 lines of code to access uninitialized local memory ranging from 5 MB to 180 MB.
Attackers can then read data from the victim that was left on the user’s device, including LLMs (large language models), primarily used by generative AI services like ChatGPT.
What leftover data is your ML model leaving for another user to steal, asks Trail of Bits
All companies with flaws in their units have confirmed the issue with Trails of Bits. They have promised to issue an update once they have figured out how to patch the GPU. Our advice to protect yourself is to keep an eye on your device and update it once the fix arrives.
