The Strategist

Amnesty International notes iPhone vulnerability to hacker attacks



07/20/2021 - 04:16



Amnesty International experts have found that iPhones can be compromised and sensitive data stolen from them using hacking software that does not require the phone owner to click on a malicious link.



Piqsels
Piqsels
Apple smartphones can be hacked using hacker software that does not require the user to click on a malicious link. Amnesty International pointed this out in a report on malware infections on iPhones belonging to journalists and human rights activists, CNBC reported. 

Amnesty International said it found that iPhones had been infected with malware from an Israeli company NSO Group called Pegasus. This software can give hackers access to the phone's messages, emails, microphone and camera. Governments using NSO Group's software have been able to successfully hack into iPhones to spy on user data using methods unknown to Apple, the international human rights organisation's experts pointed out. 

They noted that even keeping the iPhone up to date could not stop the hacking attacks. Previous versions of Pegasus required the user to click on a malicious link in a message, Amnesty International said, but the latest version of the software gained the ability to spy without clicking on the link. 

Amnesty International has uncovered evidence that the iPhone 12, the latest iPhone model running iOS 14.6, was hacked. Apple updated its software to iOS 14.7 on Monday, 19 July, but has yet to release security information that could indicate whether it has patched the vulnerabilities in the operating system identified by experts.

source: arstechnica.com