Particle.news

Apple's "Hide My Email" Feature Still Exposes Users' Real Addresses

Researchers say the flaw circumvents iCloud+ aliases, exposing real inbox addresses and undermining the feature's privacy promise.

Overview

  • Security researcher Tyler Murphy of EasyOptOuts privately reported a method to link Apple-generated aliases to real addresses in June 2025, according to multiple outlets.
  • 404 Media and EasyOptOuts reproduced the issue in recent tests and Murphy says the exploit worked on all of the aliases his team tried.
  • Apple has told researchers it applied fixes during system changes and on June 30, 2026 said the problem was resolved, but testers report the vulnerability remains exploitable.
  • Murphy and 404 Media withheld full technical details to avoid enabling attackers while they provided those details privately to Apple, and Apple has not published a verifiable remediation or detailed public comment.
  • The bug threatens the core purpose of iCloud+ aliasing by allowing re-identification of users, which could enable linking to public records and further erode trust in paid privacy features.