apple security update closes spyware iwatches

APPLE SECURITY UPDATE CLOSES SPYWARE IWATCHES PDF

In October 2019, Facebook sued NSO in U.S.

'If Pegasus was only being used against criminals and terrorists, we never would have found this stuff,' said Marczak.įacebook's WhatsApp was also allegedly targeted by an NSO zero-click exploit. The researchers said it also undermines NSO Group's claims that it only sells its spyware to law enforcement officials for use against criminals and terrorists and audits its customers to ensure it's not abused. 'And it's why it's so important that companies focus on making sure that they are as locked down as possible.' 'Chat apps are increasingly becoming a major way that nation-states and mercenary hackers are gaining access to phones,' he said. Researcher John Scott-Railton said the news highlights the importance of securing popular messaging apps against such attacks. It urged people to immediately install security updates. Those who want to jump the gun can go into the phone settings, click 'General' then 'Software Update,' and trigger the patch update directly.Ĭitizen Lab called the iMessage exploit FORCEDENTRY and said it was effective against Apple iOS, MacOS and WatchOS devices. Users should get alerts on their iPhones prompting them to update the phone's iOS software. Apple didn't respond to questions regarding whether this was the first time it had patched a zero-click vulnerability. In a subsequent statement, Apple security chief Ivan Krstić commended Citizen Lab and said such exploits 'are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users.' He noted, as he has in the past, that such exploits typically cost millions of dollars to develop and often have a short shelf life. It said it was aware that the issue may have been exploited and cited Citizen Lab.

APPLE SECURITY UPDATE CLOSES SPYWARE IWATCHES PDF

In a blog post, Apple said it was issuing a security update for iPhones and iPads because a 'maliciously crafted' PDF file could lead to them being hacked.

Apple security update closes spyware iwatches