iOS said to be the safest operating system with additional encryption and data protection features may face a serious threat. Apple products are widely known for their highly secured data encrypted, However, iOS 9 appears to have certain weak spots that might get exploited by hackers.
According to Kaspersky Lab Moscow-based cyber security firm, “Pegasus” spyware is capable of hacking any iPad or iPhone devices.
What is Pegasus spyware?
Pegasus a spyware can be installed on devices running certain versions of iOS, Upon clicking on a malicious link, Pegasus silently enables a jailbreak on the device and can read text messages, track calls, collect passwords, trace the phone location and gather information from certain apps. It was discovered by Ahmed Mansoor, a UAE-based human rights activist who happened to be one of its targets. After serious research, the result found is The spyware has been attributed to the NSO Group, an Israeli company which develops spyware.
“When news of the iOS version of ‘Pegasus’ got out, Apple was quick to react. The company issued an iOS security update (9.3.5) that patched the vulnerabilities,” said Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab.
Vulnerabilities Details
- CVE-2016-4655: Information leak in Kernel – A kernel base mapping vulnerability that leaks information to the attacker allowing him to calculate the kernel’s location in memory.
- CVE-2016-4656: Kernel Memory Corruption leads to Jailbreak – 32 and 64-bit iOS kernel-level vulnerabilities that allow the attacker to silently jailbreak the device and install surveillance software.
- CVE-2016-4657: Memory Corruption in Webkit – A vulnerability in the Safari WebKit that allows the attacker to compromise the device when the user clicks on a link.
Pegasus spyware threats Android Too
Researchers also revealed that Pegasus exists not only for iOS but for Android as well. “Pegasus” for Android uses a well-known rooting method called “Framaroot“.
How to Detect Pegasus spyware?
Google, which helped investigate the case with the Android version, took another path and notified potential Pegasus targets directly.
If you’ve updated your iOS gadgets to the latest software version and haven’t received a warning message from Google, you are probably safe and not under surveillance by Pegasus.
How To Prevent Spying?
Kaspersky Lab has warned users to follow these three steps to prevent from being attacked by Pegasus spyware,
- Update your devices on time, without fail, and pay special attention to security updates.
- Install a good security solution on each of your devices. There are none for iOS, but we hope that Pegasus will make Apple rethink its policy.
- Don’t fall for phishing, If you receive a link from an unknown source, don’t click on it automatically. Think before you click.
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