Key Takeaways
- A new critical vulnerability in Apple's M-series chips could jeopardize Bitcoin wallet security.
- GoFetch attack exploits chip flaw to steal encryption keys without root access.
- Mitigation may slow down processor performance and increase computational demand.
Researchers have found a critical vulnerability in Apple’s M-series chips, posing a potential risk to the security of Bitcoin wallets.
This flaw allows attackers to access secret keys during cryptographic operations, endangering users’ Bitcoin holdings if they used a Mac to generate the private keys.
How MacBooks are vulnerable
The vulnerability lies in the microarchitecture of Apple’s M1 and M2 chips, making it impossible to fix directly.
Instead, third-party cryptographic software must be adjusted, potentially affecting performance.
The data memory-dependent prefetcher (DMP) in these chips can be exploited through the GoFetch attack, leading to unintended data leakage.
GoFetch attack explained
The GoFetch attack takes advantage of the DMP’s behavior by crafting inputs that the prefetcher mistakenly recognizes as addresses.
This can result in the leakage of encryption keys without requiring root access, affecting both conventional and quantum-resistant encryption methods.
Mitigation challenges
Defending against this vulnerability may require strategies like ciphertext blinding, which can significantly slow down processor performance and demand more computational power.
