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      Apple Updates Magic Keyboard Firmware to Block Bluetooth Monitoring

   Adam Engst

   Last week, Apple released a [1]firmware update for all the Mac versions
   of the Magic Keyboard, bringing it to version 2.0.6. This is not news
   that most TidBITS readers can use, but it's yet another indication of
   how important digital security has become in the modern world. With the
   previous version of the firmware in the Magic Keyboard, an attacker
   with physical access to the keyboard could extract its Bluetooth
   pairing key and use that to monitor Bluetooth traffic, presumably
   whatever was typed.

   You're probably thinking, 'That sort of thing only happens in movies!'
   And you're right, but the point is that an attack that seems like it
   could only come from the fevered brain of a Hollywood scriptwriter was
   indeed possible. Crazy, eh?

   To see if master hackers in your home or office could eavesdrop on your
   Magic Keyboard's keystrokes, open System Settings > Bluetooth and click
   the info ' button next to the keyboard to find the firmware version.
   You can also Option-click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar. My
   seldom-used Magic Keyboard shows a firmware version of 1.6.0; [2]Howard
   Oakley reports that one of his two Magic Keyboards was updated to
   2.0.6, while the other remains at 1.6.0. Apple says the firmware update
   will be delivered automatically in the background while the Magic
   Keyboard is actively paired to a device running macOS, iOS, iPadOS, or
   tvOS. There's no way to install it manually, but again, unless you're a
   high-value target, don't stress about it.

   

References

   Visible links
   1. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214050
   2. https://eclecticlight.co/2024/01/11/apple-has-released-a-firmware-update-for-its-magic-keyboards/

   Hidden links:
   3. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/01/Magic-Keyboard-firmware.png

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