"IPhone12" series exhibited at Apple Store/Zhang Peng/Lightrocket/Getty Images
(CNN Business) U.S. Apple updated the software of the smartphone "IPHONE" on the 13th to respond to the serious vulnerability.Independent researchers pointed out that this vulnerabilities were abused by famous surveillance software and were used to track some Saudi activists.
According to a researcher at Citizen Lab in Canada, the use of this vulnerability (Exploit) began in February this year and was used to expand the Israeli NSO group spyware Pegasus.Pegasus is reportedly used in multiple countries to monitor journalists and human rights activists.
According to Citizen Lab, this update is a hole that can invade hackers in the message application "IMESSAGE".The hacker is said to be able to invade the mobile phone without a link to the link.The tracked Saudi activist wants anonymous.
Apple acknowledged the Citizen Lab researcher claim that he had found a vulnerabilities, but did not comment anymore.
The NSO Group did not mention the claim in a statement, and only commented that the company would "continue to provide technology and law enforcement agencies around the world to save the life of fighting terrorism and crimes."The company has previously explained that software has been sold only to customers who have been certified for terrorism and law execution purposes.
However, researchers have stated that there are several examples of spyware used for dissident and journalists.In 2019, Citizen Lab experts pointed out that Pegasus had been used on mobile phones of the murdered Mexican journalist's wife.
In the same year's lawsuit, Facebook criticized that the NSO group had an accomplice on the hacking of 1,400 mobile phones using the message application "WHATSAPP".The NSO Group showed his attitude to compete at the time.
With the spread of hacking tools that are easy to use, governments around the world are able to obtain new hidden means that can target enemy people.It is reported that the use of advanced spyware made by the NSO group and other companies has spread from Uzbekistan to Morocco.
In August this year, the United Nations human rights -related expert panels called for the sale of these surveillance tools until countries enacted rules to guarantee the use of international human rights standards.