Specialists Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto published a report on the application of Israeli startup NSO Group Technologies that exploit the iPhone. The report asserts that the NSO sells its software to foreign authorities as a tool for spying.
Last week Apple released an update operating system for mobile devices iOS 9.3.5, to fix a security gap that was used for tracking the owner of the iPhone, says the company. The NSO program called Pegasus used to hack Apple devices three previously unknown vulnerabilities in the operating system. With their help, she discreetly installed on an iPhone by getting able to track the user’s movement, to intercept and copy personal data.
Malicious code was discovered about two weeks ago the firm Lookout, specializing in information security, the analysis of the references passed in the message on the mobile of Ahmed Mansoor, human rights activist from the UAE. Click on it resulted in the contamination of the iPhone 6. “After infecting a phone, Mansura turned into a pocket digital spy with the camera and microphone, watching everything that happens around, intercepting communications in WhatsApp and Viber messages and chat”, the report says Citizen Lab. According to Mansour, the attackers are the security forces of the UAE.
Apple said the vulnerability was fixed immediately after they become known, and recommended that all iOS users to urgently upgrade it to version 9.3.5.
“Pegasus is the professional spy software of all I’ve met…”, – quote “Vedomosti” head Lookout Mike Murray. He added that the program operates extremely discreetly to the battery of the infected device into the standby mode was not spent too quickly and it did not arouse suspicion. When the device connects to a Wi-Fi network, the program starts quickly siphoned the stolen data.
Zamir Dobash, a representative of NSO, said that the company knew nothing about the attack on the Mansour. Spyware, he said, is available only to authorised government agencies to help them “fight terrorism and crime”.
NSO has positioned itself as a leading developer in the field of cyber weapons. “Our products are real ghosts, they are completely invisible to the victim and leave no traces”, said in 2013 one of the founders of NSO OMRI Lavi.
