iPhone Not As Secure As You Think, According To Researchers

Apple’s cybersecurity may be lacking when it comes to its smartphone applications. A new report from media outlets and Amnesty International suggests that iMessage security is easily thwarted by hackers.

The tech giant has a reputation of catering to user privacy and security more so than other companies. Reasons for this positive association include a closed ecosystem, regular updates, app regulation, and more user control over data.

If your smartphone of choice is an Android device, it may have a slightly different operating system depending on the manufacturer. This has led to Apple being known for its simplicity and consistency, considering the software and hardware is all under one umbrella. Despite it’s notoriety, however, there’s still room for vulnerabilities to peak through.

According to Amnesty International’s reports, threat actors used a software tool called Pegasus to remotely access and copy data from 37 people’s phones. They were able to infect phones using “zero-click” texts through Apple’s iMessage platform. This method doesn’t require victims to interact with the text to have their information breached.

The main targets in this cyber attack were reporters and executives. The report states that even iPhones running iOS 14.6, the most updated version of iOS, could be breached.

According to the report, a known target of this breach was Washington Post reporter Jamal Kashoggi’s fiancee. Evidence suggests more than one iPhone breach occurred on her cell phone starting after Kashoggi’s killing in October of 2018.

NSO Group, which created the Pegasus tool used by governments worldwide and is considered military grade spyware, released a statement noting they rebuke the findings of the report. Apple has yet to comment on the security issues. There’s also no word on whether a software update is in the works.

While Apple’s infrastructure may appear secure on the outside, just like anything in the tech world, there’s always a risk of having your systems compromised. Make sure you have the highest level of security possible to ensure your data and sensitive information stays safe.