According to Reuters, an Apple software loop exploited by Israeli spy firm NSO Group to hack access iPhones in 2021 was also targeted by a competitor at the same time.
The two companies QuaDream got the capacity to remotely hack into iPhones, compromising the smartphones without the user clicking on a malicious link. The fact the two firms employed the same advanced 'zero-click' hacking technique suggests that cellphones are more prone to digital espionage than the industry admits.
The two organizations utilized ForcedEntry software exploits to steal iPhones. In the context, it's worth noting that an exploit is a piece of computer code that takes advantage of a set of unique software flaws to provide a hacker unauthorized access to data.
"People want to feel they're safe, and telecommunications companies want the user to assume they're safe," stated Dave Aitel, a cybersecurity partner at Cordyceps Systems.
Some notable Israelis have been attacked with Pegasus, according to a recent revelation from the Israeli publication Calcalist, including a son of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "CEOs of government ministries, news reporters, tycoons, corporate executives, mayors, social activists, and even the Prime Minister's relatives were all police targets," according to Calcalist. "Phones were hacked by NSO's spyware prior to any research even opening and without any judicial authorization."
Some of QuaDream's clients overlapped with NSO Group's – implying that the buyers utilized Pegasus and REIGN for surveillance, specifically targeting political opponents. Surprisingly, the two cyberweapon's techniques were so identical when Apple patched the security weakness, it didn't make a difference.
Spyware firms have long claimed to sell high-powered technologies to assist governments in combating national security threats. Human rights organizations and journalists, on the other hand, have reported the use of spyware to harm civil society, discredit political opposition, and sabotage elections on numerous occasions.
Pegasus was also recently discovered on the devices of Finland's diplomatic corps working outside the nation, according to Finnish officials, as well as of a wide-ranging espionage campaign. Pegasus was allegedly installed on the iPhones of at least nine US State Department workers.
