SMS, iMessage and FaceTime security

Apple introduced FaceTime to the world with the release of iOS 4 in 2010 bringing mobile video calling to the masses. Apple introduced a new feature rich encrypted instant messaging platform (iMessage) on iOS 5 in 2011. In 2012, Apple replaced iChat with Messages in OSX mountain lion featuring iMessage and FaceTime capabilities. Steve Jobs stated that Apple products 'just work' at WWDC 2011. That very same spirit of simplicity, multi-platform support and transparency introduced some vulnerabilities and exposed an attack surface. Although Apple implemented various defenses to protect users, there are attack surfaces and avenues still available, which this paper will explore. We will explore mechanisms and underlying protocol and how they functions, potential attack surface and what defenses are in place or can be easily implemented to defend the clients.