iOS 16.6.1 released with security fixes; Vulnerability to infect iPhone with Pegasus spyware: Researchers
Researchers at the digital surveillance group Citizen Lab said Thursday they had found spyware they linked to Israeli firm NSO that exploited a newly discovered flaw in Apple devices. While inspecting the Apple device of an employee of a Washington-based civil society group last week, Citizen Lab said it found that the flaw had been used to infect the device with NSO’s Pegasus spyware, according to a statement.
“This shows that civil society is once again acting as an early warning system for really sophisticated attacks,” said John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Citizen Lab did not provide any further information about the person or organization affected.
The flaw allowed iPhones running the latest version of iOS (16.6) to be compromised without any interaction from the victim, the digital watchdog said.
Apple has released new updates for its devices after investigating the flaws reported by Citizen Lab. An Apple spokesperson said there was no further comment, while Citizen Lab urged consumers to update their devices.
An NSO spokesman said there was no immediate comment on the Citizen Lab research.
The Israeli company has been on the US government blacklist since 2021 for alleged abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
