iPhone users have been urged to download a new update immediately.
The update was pushed out by Apple to iPhones and iPads after a major security vulnerability was found in the devices. Patching up that hole with the new software update should keep those devices safe. But without it, attackers could break into an iPhone and spy on its user.
Researchers at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto discovered the security flaw. The issue, they claimed, was being “actively exploited” by hackers, and they advised all users to upgrade right now. They were doing this by dispensing Pegasus, a piece of commercial software created and marketed by the Israeli company NSO Group. This pricey, specialized software has mostly been used on activists, journalists, and politicians who are likely to be aware of their own vulnerability to attack.
The latest attack was used on the iPhone of a member of staff at a US civil society organization with international offices, Citizen Lab said. It named the new exploit BLASTPASS and said that it did not even require users to click anything on their device.
The NSO Group and Apple have in recent years been engaged in a long-running fight to find and fix security flaws that could allow for the delivery of that software.
Recent iPhone updates brought a new “Lockdown Mode” that places extra restrictions on the device in an attempt to close up potential security flaws. That includes not downloading images that could include spyware, for instance – which is how attackers deliver the hack in this most recent scare.
Downloading the new update is simple. It is done through the Settings app on iPhones and iPads, by clicking the “general” and then “software update” options – that will check for any new updates and offer the option to download it.
Phones may eventually automatically install the new operating system, which could mean that no download shows up on that screen. Users can check if they have already updated to the new, patched operating system by clicking the “about” option in the general settings and looking whether they have the newest iOS 16.6.1.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Belinda Quansah
