Apple chips can leak secrets to hackers; SLAP and FLOP attacks explained
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by
Joshua Long
A pair of flaws in recent M-series and A-series Apple chips could allow attackers to break the security of Macs, iPhones, and iPads. SLAP and FLOP are attack methods that exploit predictive functionality in Apple chips. Apple’s M2 and A15 and later chips are vulnerable to SLAP; M3 and A17 and later are vulnerable to FLOP.
Here’s everything you need to know about FLOP and SLAP and how they could potentially impact you.
In this article:
- What are SLAP and FLOP, and how could they affect Apple devices?
- Which devices are vulnerable?
- Do the flaws impact Apple Vision Pro, M1 chips, Intel Macs, etc.?
- Does Apple know about the flaws, and will Apple fix them?
- Have attackers exploited SLAP and FLOP in the wild?
- Should I worry about FLOP and SLAP?
- Could malware leverage SLAP or FLOP? How can I keep my Mac safe?
- How can I learn more?
What are SLAP and FLOP, and how could they affect Apple devices?
SLAP is short for Speculation attacks via Load Address Prediction. Apple’s M2 and A15 chips (and later versions) include “a Load Address Predictor (LAP), which improves performance by guessing the next memory address” from which the CPU will retrieve data.
FLOP is short for False Load Output Predictions. Apple’s M3 and A17 chips (and later versions) include a Load Value Predictor (LVP), which “improves performance on data dependencies by guessing the [next] data value that will be returned by the memory subsystem… before the value is actually available.”
In other words, LAP and LVP are speculative execution technologies built into Apple chips. Speculative execution techniques are common because they allow for significant speed improvements. But the downside is that they can often be exploited via so-called “side channel attacks.”
Put more simply, by exploiting a feature that’s intended to improve processing speed, attackers can potentially do harmful things. In this case, attackers could extract sensitive information from other browser tabs. Researchers demonstrated stealing credit card information, e-mail contents, meeting locations from calendars, and more.
We’ve covered several speculative execution side channel attacks on the Intego blog and podcast; first, Spectre and Meltdown in 2018, then SPOILER, Foreshadow-NG and ZombieLoad, Augury, Retbleed, Downfall, iLeakage, GoFetch, and Indirector.
Which devices are vulnerable?
The researchers’ list is somewhat confusing; we’ve cleaned up the list of affected models to clarify which Macs, iPads, and iPhones are vulnerable.
- All Mac laptop models from 2022–present
- MacBook Air, MacBook Pro
- All Mac desktop models from 2023–present
- iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, Mac Studio
- All iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad Pro models from Sept. 2021–present
- iPad Air 11-inch (M2) and 13-inch (M2)
- iPad mini (6th generation) and (A17 Pro)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation)
- iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
- All iPhone models from 2021–present
- All iPhone 13, 14, 15, and 16 models
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
All of the devices listed above have a chip from one of the affected lines: M2, M3, M4, A15, A16, A17, A18.
Note that the iPad (10th generation), which was released in October 2022, has an A14 Bionic chip and is therefore unaffected.
Do the flaws impact Apple Vision Pro, M1 chips, Intel Macs, etc.?
The researchers did not mention Apple Vision Pro. However, given that they share the same M2 processors as some Macs and iPads—and OS and browser technologies are largely shared across Apple platforms—it is plausible that SLAP may be exploitable on Vision Pro, too.
As for Macs or iPads with M1 chips, or Intel-based Macs, the answer is no; they’re not vulnerable to FLOP or SLAP attacks. Similarly, older iPhones and iPads than those listed above are unaffected.
SLAP relies on features introduced in M2 and A15 chips, and FLOP relies on features introduced in M3 and A17 chips. All later chips than these are impacted, too.
Does Apple know about the flaws, and will Apple fix them?
Apple has known about SLAP since May 24, 2024, and FLOP since September 3, 2024. Apple has not made any public statement about either one.
Will Apple attempt to mitigate these vulnerabilities? There isn’t a clear answer. The researchers say that “Apple has communicated to us that they plan to address these issues in an upcoming security update.” However, an Apple spokesperson declined to state to Ars Technica whether such plans exist; instead, Apple merely said that “Based on our analysis, we do not believe this issue poses an immediate risk to our users.”
Meanwhile, app developers can choose to mitigate FLOP and SLAP or not, on a per-app basis; users are at developers’ mercy.
To prevent SLAP attacks, for now users can avoid using the Safari browser; Chrome (and presumably other Chromium-based browsers, like Microsoft Edge and Brave) are not vulnerable to SLAP.
FLOP attacks, however, are effective against both Safari and Chrome. The researchers did not test Firefox.
Have attackers exploited SLAP and FLOP in the wild?
The researchers just published their findings this week, the final week of January 2025. To their knowledge, attackers have not yet exploited SLAP or FLOP in any real-world attack scenarios. But in theory, threat actors could start exploiting these vulnerabilities in the wild, now that the flaws are public knowledge.
Should I worry about FLOP and SLAP?
For now, users of affected Apple products shouldn’t worry too much about these vulnerabilities.
If at some point Apple becomes aware of threat actors exploiting these flaws in the wild—and especially if the public were also aware of this fact—Apple would presumably attempt to mitigate them quickly.
Users who are particularly concerned about difficult-to-exploit attacks like these should keep their operating systems and software patched, avoid using Safari, and consider enabling Lockdown Mode.
Given the difficulty of exploiting these vulnerabilities successfully, it would be far easier for a hacker to use other attack methods. For example, tricking someone into typing sensitive information into a phishing site, or installing malware, is generally far easier than successfully exploiting SLAP or FLOP on a target’s device.
Could malware leverage SLAP or FLOP? How can I keep my Mac safe?
If there’s ever any Mac malware designed to exploit FLOP, SLAP, or other vulnerabilities, Intego will quickly add detection to keep our customers safe.
Intego VirusBarrier X9, included with Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9, is a powerful solution designed to protect against, detect, and eliminate Mac malware.
If you suspect that your Mac might be infected, or to prevent future infections, use antivirus software from a trusted Mac developer. VirusBarrier is award-winning antivirus software, designed by Mac security experts, that includes real-time protection. It runs natively on both Intel- and Apple silicon-based Macs, and it’s compatible with Apple’s current Mac operating system, macOS Sequoia.
How can I learn more?
We discussed a few key points about SLAP and FLOP in episode 381 of the Intego Mac Podcast. For a deeper dive, we recommend reading Dan Goodin’s coverage at Ars Technica, as well as the researchers’ site. You can also read the researchers’ highly technical white papers (in PDF format) on SLAP and FLOP.
Each week on the Intego Mac Podcast, Intego’s Mac security experts discuss the latest Apple news, including security and privacy stories, and offer practical advice on getting the most out of your Apple devices. Be sure to follow the podcast to make sure you don’t miss any episodes.
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