Flaw in Apple devices allowed Pegasus spyware infection, researchers say
The flaw allowed the compromise of iPhones running the latest version of iOS without any interaction from the victim
Researchers at the digital watchdog group Citizen Lab on Thursday said they found spyware linked to the Israeli firm NSO Group that exploited a newly discovered flaw in Apple devices.
While inspecting the Apple device of an employee of a U.S.-based civil society group last week, Citizen Lab said it found the flaw had been used to infect it with NSO’s Pegasus spyware.
"We attribute the exploit to NSO Group's Pegasus spyware with high confidence, based on forensics we have from the target device," Bill Marczak, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, told Reuters.
He noted that the attacker likely made a mistake during the installation which is how Citizen Lab found the spyware.
The watchdog said Apple confirmed to them that using the high-security feature "Lockdown Mode" available on Apple devices blocks this particular attack.
"This shows that civil society is once again serving as the early warning system about really sophisticated attacks," said John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab.
The flaw allowed the compromise of iPhones running the latest version of iOS without any interaction from the victim, the digital watchdog said. The new update fixes this vulnerability.
The iOS developers issued new updates on its devices after investigating the flaws reported, and an Apple spokesperson said it had no further comment, while Citizen Lab urged consumers to update their devices.
"We are unable to respond to any allegations that do not include any supporting research,” NSO said in a statement.
The Israeli firm has been blacklisted by the United States since 2021 for alleged abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists.