Angela Lang / CNET
Apple released security updates for its iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs earlier this week that close an invasive spyware-exploited vulnerability built by NSO Group, an Israeli security company.
On Monday, the tech giant released a security note for iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8 that said some malicious PDFs could take advantage of their operating systems. “Processing a maliciously crafted PDF can result in arbitrary code execution,” the note read. “Apple is aware of a report that could have actively exploited this issue.”
Apple also released WatchOS 7.6.2, MacOS Big Sur 11.6 and a security update for MacOS Catherine to address vulnerability.
The solution, previously reported by the New York Times, comes from the investigation of a public interest cybersecurity group called Citizen Lab that found that the phone of a Saudi activist had been infected with Pegasus, the most well-known product in the world. ‘OSN. According to Citizen Lab, the zero-day, zero-click exploit against iMessage, which he called ForcedEntry, is targeted at Apple’s image rendering library and was effective against iPhones, laptops, and Apple Watches. company.
Read more: Check if your iPhone is infected with Pegasus spyware with this free tool
Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto, says it determined that NSO used the vulnerability to remotely infect devices with its Pegasus spyware, adding that it believes the exploitation has been used at least since February. He urged all Apple users to immediately upgrade their operating systems.
“Ubiquitous chat applications have become an important target for actors of the most sophisticated threats, including the state’s espionage operations and the mercenary spyware companies that serve them,” Citizen said. Lab in a report. “As it is currently designed, many chat applications have become an irresistible soft target.”
The security update was released a day before Apple removed the list of new products, including iPads, Apple Watches and iPhones. The company used the fall device launch, which is one of the company’s most important annual events, to promote its security measures. Claiming that privacy is “integrated from the start,” Apple said the next version of its iOS software will block crawlers and prevent email monitoring, among other security provisions.
Read more: Watch the iPhone 13 launch live: How to watch the Apple event today
Apple thanked Citizen Lab for providing a sample of the exploit, which the iPhone maker said was not a threat to most of its users.
“Attacks like the ones described are very sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short lifespan and are used to target specific people,” Ivan Krstić, who directs, said in a statement. Apple’s security engineering and architecture operations. “While this means they are not a threat to the vast majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all of our customers and constantly add new protections to their devices and data.”
In July, the researchers found evidence of attempts or success of Pegasus facilities on 37 phones of activists, journalists and business people. All but three devices were iPhones. Some of the people appear to be targets of covert surveillance through Pegasus, software that is supposed to be used to pursue criminals and terrorists. According to reports, spyware can access and record text, videos, photos and activity on the web, as well as passively record and scratch passwords on a device.
NSO released a statement Monday afternoon that did not directly address Apple’s update, but said it will “continue to offer intelligence and police agencies around the world technologies to save lives to fight terror and the crime “.
The company, which licenses surveillance software to government agencies, says its Pegasus software helps authorities fight criminals and terrorists who take advantage of encryption technology to stay “dark.” Pegasus secretly works with smartphones, providing information on what their owners do. Other companies provide similar software.
CEO Shalev Hulio co-founded the company in 2010. In addition to Pegasus, NSO offers other tools for locating where a phone is used, fencing off drones, and law enforcement data to detect patterns.
NSO has been implicated in other hackers, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a hacker in 2018. In the same year, a Saudi dissident sued the company for its alleged role in hacking a journalist’s device. Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated. within the Saudi embassy in Turkey.