Researchers from Johns Hopkins University reported that they found a security bug in iMessage, the encrypted messaging platform used on Apple's phones and other devices.
The flaw allows hackers under certain circumstances to decrypt some messages.
The team's paper, released Monday after Apple's release of a patch that fixed the vulnerability, is extremely critical of iMessage's encryption technology, citing "significant vulnerabilities that can be exploited by a sophisticated attacker." And it argues that in the long term, the technology needs to be replaced with a more modern mechanism.
Apple Inc. released a statement Monday saying that it appreciated the Johns Hopkins team's efforts in identifying the bug and bringing it to its attention. It also noted that some of the problems identified in the paper were fixed with the fall release of iOS 9.