'Decades-old' bugs found affecting Windows, Android, macOS and Linux — but the OS makers don't see it as a big deal
The OS makers don't see the issue as a particularly big problem, and Microsoft even said it was by design.
Researchers from Graz University have uncovered decades-old flaws in file-notification subsystems across major operating systems, including Windows, Android, macOS, and Linux. These side-channel attacks could potentially allow threat actors to steal login credentials or track a user's browsing history through indirect clues observed from the system's behavior.
The vulnerability, affecting Linux since 2005, Android since 2008, Windows since 2000, and macOS since 2007, stems from the fact that unprivileged users can access the file notification subsystem. While Linux received partial mitigations, Microsoft and Apple acknowledged the issue but did not patch it, maintaining the feature as by-design.
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