Apple has just released a security update for iPhone and iPad to patch a dangerous vulnerability that allows hackers to take control of user devices.
On September 7, researchers from the digital surveillance group Citizen Lab said they had found spyware related to Israel’s NSO Company. This company exploits a newly discovered vulnerability on Apple devices.
In a statement, Citizen Lab said that while testing the Apple device of an employee of a civil society group based in Washington (USA) last week, they discovered this vulnerability was used to infect spyware on the device with NSO’s Pegasus
Citizen Lab did not provide further details about the individuals or organizations affected.
The digital watchdog said the vulnerability allows hackers to attack iPhones running the latest version of iOS (16.6) without any interaction from the victim, according to Reuters.
Apple has released a new update on its devices after investigating the vulnerabilities reported by Citizen Lab. An Apple spokesperson did not comment further, while Citizen Lab urged users to update their devices.
A spokesperson for NSO said they had no immediate comment on Citizen Lab’s research.
The Israeli company has been blacklisted by the US government since 2021 for alleged abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists