Pegasus Spyware: Does Apple Have ‘Major’ iMessage Security Problems?

Apple is coming in for some criticism over its security posture after NSO Group malware is seen ... [+] breaking iMessage. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

iPhone spyware made by $1 billion surveillance company NSO has exposed “major” issues in Apple iMessage security, according to a security expert who has spent years researching the Israeli business’ hacks. 

Reports from Amnesty International and Citizen Lab, following on from an alleged leak of data on 50,000 potential targets of NSO’s Pegasus spy tool, claimed that they had both seen a so-called “zero-click” attack exploiting numerous vulnerabilities in a fully-patched iPhone 12 Pro Max running iOS 14.6 in July 2021. That included hacks of iMessage. 

Bill Marczak, researcher at Citizen Lab, told Forbes that in some cases Apple’s iOS will automatically run data within iMessages and attachments, even when they’re from strangers, which could put users at risk.

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