Apple’s Private Relay feature, which is designed to hide a user’s IP address while browsing the web in Safari, can be bypassed because of a series of flaws that may reveal a user’s real IP address, according to security researchers.
The researchers disclosed the findings in a blog post published on Tuesday and launched a website that allows users to check whether their actual IP address is leaking while using Private Relay.
The researchers, Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk, said the issue stems from three features within Apple’s WebKit browser engine, which powers Safari and all web browsers on iOS. They explained that the flaws can undermine the privacy protections offered by Private Relay.
Private Relay is available only to iCloud+ subscribers and is designed to hide a user’s IP address when browsing with Safari. Unlike a traditional VPN, however, it does not protect internet traffic across the entire operating system and only works within Apple’s browser.
Mysk said the team chose not to report the issue directly to Apple, claiming that previous vulnerability reports resulted in long delays, inconsistent communication, and, in some cases, Apple disputing the impact of the findings.
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