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Apple has just released a series of new updates for iOS, macOS and watchOS to fix a bug that security researchers at Citizen Lab say likely allowed government agencies to install spyware on journalists, lawyers and activists.

apple, Citizen Lab, spyware, iOS

Researchers say that the bug allowed for the installation of a “zero-click” (meaning the target didn't have to do anything to get infected) spyware , which can reportedly steal data, passwords, and activate a phone's microphone or camera.

Given the severity of the exploitation, you should inform iOS 14.8, the macOS BigSur 11.6 and Watch 7.6.2 as soon as possible.

The Citizen Lab also said that this vulnerability, dubbed "ForcedEntry", seems to match the behavior of a similar Amnesty International in July. At the time, security researchers wrote that the exploit was made possible by a bug in the Apple's CoreGraphics and it happened when the phone tried to use a associated with a GIF file, after receiving one text that contained a malicious file.

However, even with this information, it could be difficult to determine exactly what happened without access to the infected files themselves. According to Citizen Lab , the suspicious files from a hacked activist's phone appeared to be GIFs sent as SMS attachments, but were actually PSDs and PDFs. Citizen Lab suspected it might be related to Pegasus, so it sent the files to Apple on September 7. Apple quickly released them software patching the bug on September 13 and thanked Citizen Lab in a statement for "completing the very difficult task of obtaining a sample of this exploit."

All of this serves as a reminder of how important it is to keep all your devices up to date. While we hope you never find yourself on the opposite side of a government that uses it spyware, it's still a good idea to make sure your device isn't vulnerable to widely reported security exploits.

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apple, Citizen Lab, spyware, iOS

Written by Dimitris

Dimitris hates on Mondays .....

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