iPhone Spyware Alert: Apple devices found to be at risk from NSO exploit

Researchers at Citizen Lab, a prominent digital watchdog group, have identified a significant security breach in Apple devices linked to the controversial Israeli firm NSO. The revelation comes after Citizen Lab inspected an Apple device belonging to an employee of a Washington-based civil society group last week. The research uncovered the use of NSO's Pegasus spyware through a previously unknown vulnerability.

A report by Reuters highlights the Citizen Lab findings which is based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. "This shows that civil society is once again serving as the early warning system about really sophisticated attacks," noted John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab. However, specific details about the affected individual and organization have not been disclosed.

The flaw in question allowed for the compromise of iPhones running the latest iOS version 16.6 without any interaction from the victim, according to the digital watchdog cited by Reuters. In response, Apple swiftly issued updates to rectify the vulnerabilities, although the tech giant has remained tight-lipped on the matter. iPhone users are advised to update their smartphone software to the latest version of iOS to fix the vulnerability. 

Citizen Lab has also issued a public advisory urging users to promptly update their devices to safeguard against potential exploits. In contrast, NSO, the Israeli firm at the center of this controversy, has yet to provide a formal response to the findings. It's worth noting that NSO has been under scrutiny and blacklisted by the U.S. government since 2021 due to allegations of abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists.

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