AppleInsider reports today that a JavaScript bug has been found in the Safari browser in iOS 6. The bug was first found by an AppleInsider reader, James, who discovered that in those instances where someone has chosen to turn off JavaScript in the Safari browser in iOS 6, when a Smart App Banner appears on a website that you have visited, JavaScript will be automatically turned back on, without letting the user know that this has occurred. The change is permanent, unless the user turns it off again themselves. AppleInsider says that you can test the bug by opening Settings on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 6, selecting Safari, and turning off JavaScript. Next, visit a website that has a Smart App Banner, and then select Settings again to confirm that JavaScript has indeed been turned back on, without notifying you of the fact. You will also find that JavaScript on websites that you visit will now be working again. AppleInsider adds that the issue has been known about ever since iOS 6 was released, but had not been publicized until now. AppleInsider also notes that according to Peter Eckersley, technology products director with digital rights advocacy organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation, this is “a serious privacy and security vulnerability†issue. However, AppleInsider also heard from Lysa Myers, a virus hunter with Intego, who said that she did not think the bug was “that large a problem.â€
[FONT="]Source: iOS 6 bug reenables JavaScript in Safari without user consent[/FONT]
