Back in 2014, Apple’s SSL code had a tiny flaw: just one extra goto fail; line, that broke secure connections. On a public Wi-Fi, your iPhone’s “lock” icon could lie.
That duplicated goto made a security check skip critical steps. Attackers could intercept, tamper with or inject data — a man-in-the-middle attack.
Why this bug was terrifying?
- The bug was trivial to miss: very small, very innocent looking.
- It bypassed core SSL verification logic.
- Because Apple’s SSL was trusted deeply in iOS/macOS, the impact was broad.
What engineers can learn:
- Simplicity can be dangerous. Tiny code mistakes may have massive security consequences.
- Don’t assume the safety of framework code. Even trusted libraries must be audited.
- Be paranoid about branches. Control flow errors are subtle but powerful.
- Trust but verify. Always build redundancy and extra validation layers.
You can read the full story, including technical details and lessons, here:
Oops I goto It Again
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