The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB from Federal Security Service) he argues that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) is using iPhone backdoors to spy on Russian officials and citizens.
FSB claims NSA has unknown malicious software and using these backdoors, has infected several thousand iPhones in Russia.
According to the announcement, the FSB accuses Apple of giving access to the NSA to monitor people of interest to the White House and Russian citizens.
The alleged intelligence operation targeted iPhones owned by Russian users and foreign diplomats living in Russia, including from Israel, Syria and China. The FSB claims its investigation was assisted by Russia's Federal Guards Service, which is responsible for protecting the country's leaders.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said:
"U.S. intelligence agencies have been using IT companies for decades to collect large-scale data from Internet users without their knowledge."
Earlier this year, the Kremlin ordered officials involved in preparations for the 2024 presidential election to stop using iPhones.
While the United States and Russia have blamed each other, the methods and specifics of the intelligence gathering remain tightly guarded. For example, it remains unknown how spies managed to obtain information about President Putin's plans to invade Ukraine last year.
