A now-fixed flaw in Apple’s software exploited by Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group [Pegasus] to break into iPhones in 2021 was simultaneously abused by a competing company, Reuters reports, citing “five people familiar with the matter.”
In November 2021, Apple sued NSO Group over state-sponsored surveillance and the targeting of Apple device users.
Christopher Bing and Raphael Satter for Reuters:
QuaDream, the sources said, is a smaller and lower profile Israeli firm that also develops smartphone hacking tools intended for government clients. The two rival businesses gained the same ability last year to remotely break into iPhones, according to the five sources, meaning that both firms could compromise Apple phones without an owner needing to open a malicious link.…
Experts analyzing intrusions engineered by NSO Group and QuaDream since last year believe the two companies used very similar software exploits, known as ForcedEntry, to hijack iPhones… Bill Marczak, a security researcher with digital watchdog Citizen Lab who has been studying both companies’ hacking tools, told Reuters that QuaDream’s zero-click capability seemed “on par” with NSO’s.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on QuaDream or say what if any action they planned to take with regard to the company.
ForcedEntry is viewed as “one of the most technically sophisticated exploits” ever captured by security researchers.
So similar were the two versions of ForcedEntry that when Apple fixed the underlying flaws in September 2021 it rendered both NSO and QuaDream’s spy software ineffective, according to two people familiar with the matter…
Human rights groups and journalists have repeatedly documented the use of spyware to attack civil society, undermine political opposition, and interfere with elections.
Apple notified thousands of ForcedEntry targets in November, making elected officials, journalists, and human rights workers around the world realize they had been placed under surveillance.
MacDailyNews Note: All users should continue to protect themselves from cybercriminals and consumer malware by following best practices for security:
• Update devices to the latest software, as that includes the latest security fixes
• Protect devices with a passcode
• Use two-factor authentication and a strong password for Apple ID
• Install apps from the App Store
• Use strong and unique passwords online
• Don’t click on links or attachments from unknown senders
Apple’s full support document, “About Apple threat notifications and protecting against state-sponsored attacks,” is here.
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