While Apple is working to kill Pegasus’ ability to gain access to users’ devices, NSO Group will likely continue developing new ways of breaking into Apple’s software. WhatsApp parent Meta ( META) is also suing the company after it developed spyware that could be installed on victims’ devices via WhatsApp messages. The iPhone maker isn’t the only tech giant going after NSO Group, either. In November, the company filed a lawsuit against the spyware maker in California alleging it attacked Apple, its services, and its customers. 2021, the The Commerce Department blacklisted the NSO Group, eliminating its ability to purchase American goods.Īpple has been fighting the NSO Group and others like it for some time. It’s such a powerful piece of technology that in Nov. intelligence officials believe Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, ordered Khashoggi’s murder.
#APPLE SECURITY UPDATE PEGASUS SOFTWARE#
In either situation, the target would never know that the software was installed on their device.Īccording to The Guardian, the spyware was used to track associates of murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The software initially required targets to unknowingly click a malicious link sent to an iPhone, but a secondary version could be installed on a device without the target having to do anything. It’s more or less the Holy Grail of spyware, giving the company’s customers, which include governments like Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, unfettered access to everything on a target’s Apple device. NSO Group’s Pegasus software isn’t your average piece of malware, though. Story continues The ultimate piece of spyware It disables attachments and link previews in the Messages app, disables certain web technologies in the browser app, blocks things like FaceTime calls unless you’ve previously called a person, and more. When activated, however, Lockdown Mode creates a kind of panic room for your Apple device.
So if you’re not a head of state or corporation, a political activist, or dissident, you likely won’t have to enable the feature. Apple’s fight against PegasusĪpple is quick to point out that Lockdown Mode is for a very specific group of users. And NSO Group, and its competitors, could eventually break through Apple’s security barriers again. Lockdown Mode is a groundbreaking capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest, most sophisticated attacks,” Apple head of security engineering and architecture, Ivan Krstić, said in a statement.īut while Apple’s update will cut out current versions of NSO Group’s software, it’s far from a permanent solution. “Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market. The reason for the new security capability? Apple’s ongoing fight against Israel’s NSO Group and its Pegasus software, a powerful piece of spyware that can remotely suck up all of the information on a target device without the victim ever knowing. The feature, called Lockdown Mode and available later this year with the release of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, will allow Apple users to cut off access to a slew of communication features on their devices, ensuring, at least for now, that malicious actors can’t access their information. Apple ( AAPL) on Thursday unveiled a unique new security feature designed specifically to take on the kind of dangerous spyware used by governments to eavesdrop on everyone from political dissidents and activists to journalists around the world.
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