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Title: Assessing the Feasibility of the Virtual Smartphone Paradigm in Countering Zero-Click Attacks
Zero-click attacks exploit unpatched vulnerabilities in chat apps, such as WhatsApp and iMessage, enabling root access to the user’s device without their interaction, thereby posing a significant privacy risk. While Apple’s Lockdown mode and Samsung’s Message Guard implement virtual sandboxes, it is crucial to recognize that sophisticated zero-click exploits can potentially bypass the sandbox and compromise the device. This paper explores the feasibility of countering such attacks by shifting the attack surface to a virtual smartphone ecosystem, developed using readily available off-the-shelf components. Considering that zero-click attacks are inevitable, our cross-platform security system is strategically designed to substantially reduce the impact and duration of any potential successful attack. Our evaluation highlighted several trade-offs between security and usability. Moreover, we share insights to inspire further research on mitigating zero-click attacks on smartphones.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2127200
PAR ID:
10568444
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
Date Published:
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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