Four years ago, we learned of the Spectre and Meltdown security flaws affecting Mac and iOS devices. This week, a US judge is dismissing a proposed class-action lawsuit that accuses Apple of defrauding customers, according to Reuters.
Background
Back in 2018, Meltdown and Spectre security flaws were affecting ARM-based and Intel processors. While all Mac and iOS devices were hurt by the vulnerability, Apple stated there were no known exploits affecting customers.
Apple defeats the class-action lawsuit over security flaws
Reuters says the lawsuit came after Apple revealed the Meltdown and Spectre security flaws in 2018. These flaws could potentially let hackers access computer devices and steal memory contents. Customers claimed Apple first learned about the flaws in June 2017 and didn’t share until the New York Times reported the issue.
The Meltdown and Spectre exploitation techniques abuse speculative execution to access privileged memory – including that of the kernel – from a less-privileged user process such as a malicious app running on a device.
U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California said customers failed to prove that they overpaid for their devices because Apple knowingly concealed defects, and provided security patches that made its devices significantly slower.
Davila dismissed the case as Apple assertions that its products were ‘secure’ and ‘private’ were too general to support customer claims. Davila also stated that the company’s marketing wasn’t false or misleading. By saying its newer processors were faster and longer-lasting wasn’t a falsehood as the patches may have disrupted performance.
While lawyers for the plaintiffs have yet to comment, Davila has given them until June 30 to repeal their claims.
