A newly disclosed privacy vulnerability in Apple’s Hide My Email service appears to completely defeat its purpose, allowing recipients to discover a user’s real email address with 100% accuracy under certain conditions.
A Leak in the Privacy Shield
Security researchers report that Apple’s Hide My Email feature contains a bug that can expose the underlying real address to anyone who receives an email through the relay system. When a recipient replies to an email sent via Hide My Email, or in certain forwarding scenarios, the service apparently leaks the actual iCloud email address in the message headers.
What This Means for Anyone Who Trusted the Feature
Hide My Email is a cornerstone of Apple’s privacy-focused iCloud+ subscription offering. It allows users to sign up for services, newsletters, and websites without revealing their real email address.
The Sound of Silence
Apple has not yet publicly commented. Users who rely on Hide My Email should be aware their real email address may be visible in reply headers until a fix is deployed.
