It’s been said that Apple devices are the most secure on the market: “MacBooks don’t get viruses,” “iPhones aren’t hackable,” and so on. A new Apple security update challenges the notion, however, with Cupertino sending it out immediately after discovering that an activist in the Middle East experienced his iPhone being targeted by spyware.
The Pegasus spyware, the official name, is said to “take advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apple’s mobile operating system to take complete control of iPhone handsets,” according to the source below. Apple has fixed the vulnerabilities with an Apple security update, but did not disclose any information about them to the press. According to what we know, the Pegasus spyware “can be used to record sounds, collect passwords, read text messages, record calls and track users. All iOS versions 9.3.4 and below are vulnerable, The Next Web reports. The Pegasus spyware was designed by an cyber warfare company in the Middle East, which is why the roots of the Pegasus spyware are found there — and why an activist found that he was the target of the spyware attack (he is currently in the Middle East).
At this point, it just goes to show that Apple iPhones are not all that hard to penetrate and break through. The Pegasus spyware is nothing more than “a one-click remote jailbreak of an Apple device,” according to security firm lookout, which means that the Apple security update in iOS 9.3.5 should be taken seriously and downloaded immediately.
Those who work in IT departments or tech in general come to learn over time that no device is 100% hack-proof, and that all updates are designed to fix vulnerabilities and bring software patches. Android has a security patch update that is now present on all high-end Android handsets, and just because Apple doesn’t provide a security update schedule and date doesn’t mean it isn’t doing the same thing with its iOS updates.
The Pegasus spyware update is the first we’ve seen in a long time that shows how vulnerable iOS really is, but it’s imperative that you update right away if you haven’t.
What do you think of the Pegasus spyware? Does this change the view you’ve had about iPhones, or does it remind you of something you’ve thought for a long time: that is, all handsets are vulnerable to cyberattack?
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