Apple is suing the Israeli NSO Group for infesting iPhones with Pegasus Spyware. This was after the group used a zero-click exploit to force their way into some iPhones. NSO Group is known for its aggressive hacking into phones and sites.
Alongside the charges, the Cupertino based company is “seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices.” The company also announced it will be contributing $10 million to support cyber-surveillance researchers and advocates.
Pegasus spyware has traces of government backing that allow them to remotely access a phone camera, microphones and data from Androids and iPhones said Apple. The Tech company also made reference to the NSO group earlier infestation of Aljazeera journalist iPhones.
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Even WhatsApp has been a victim of the NSO group hack, some months ago. Apple’s Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi said in a statement
“State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability. That needs to change…Apple devices are the most secure consumer hardware on the market — but private companies developing state-sponsored spyware have become even more dangerous.”
The NSO Group latest infestation on iPhones was first seen by researchers at the University of Toronto Citizen Lab. The infestation occurred on a Saudi activist phone.
The researchers informed Apple of the infestation on the 7th of September, about the “zero-click” hack.
After its entry, the NSO’S Pegasus spyware makes theft and eavesdropping. Apple issued a security update after reports of the infestation in iO5 14.8 and iPad OS 14.8. The spyware in the form of a “maliciously crafted” PDF file led to the hack.
Assuredly, Apple says in iOS 15 it “has not observed any evidence of successful remote attacks against devices running iOS 15 and later versions.”
Also, the tech company Senior director of commercial litigation Heather Grenier in a response to the New York Times said this lawsuit is a “stake in the ground, to send a clear signal” that Apple won’t let its users suffer “this type of abuse.”
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