For iPhones, iPads, and Macs, Apple has publicly exposed critical security flaws that could theoretically allow attackers to seize total control of these devices.
Apple stated that it was “aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.”
Apple recently published two security assessments regarding the problem, but nobody outside of tech media paid them much attention.
Users of the iPhone 6S and subsequent models, the iPad models starting with the fifth generation and later, the iPad Pro models, and the iPad Air 2, as well as Mac computers running macOS Monterey, have been advised by security experts to upgrade the affected devices. Several iPod models are also impacted.
Apple’s report of the flaw, states that a hacker could gain “complete admin access to the device” and “run any code as if they were you, the user,” according to SocialProof Security CEO Rachel Tobac.
People “in the public spotlight,” such as activists or journalists, who could be the focus of sophisticated nation-state eavesdropping, should pay extra attention to updating their software, Rachel Tobac said.
The number of users who were impacted by the vulnerability was not specifically stated by Apple. It consistently referenced an unnamed researcher.
Commercial spyware organizations like Israel’s NSO Group are renowned for spotting and exploiting these weaknesses in malware that covertly infects targets’ smartphones, siphons their information, and continuously monitors the targets.
The US Commerce Department has placed NSO Group on a “blacklist.” Its spyware has reportedly been used against journalists, dissidents, and human rights campaigners in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
Will Strafach, a security expert, claimed that he has not seen any technical examination of the vulnerabilities that Apple has just patched.
According to Will Strafach, the corporation had previously disclosed comparable critical problems and highlighted that it was aware of claims that these security weaknesses had been exploited about a dozen different times.