Compared to Android mobile phones, the iPhone is seen to be safer in fending off cyber attacks such as spyware or surveillance. However, it turns out that Apple's mobile phones have been kneeled by the Pegasus spy software made by the Israeli company.
Well-known media outlets Washington Post, Guardian and others revealed reports of how Pegasus, software made by the NSO Group, is still secretly infiltrating personal cell phones. The expensive software was reportedly bought by the government and used to spy on individuals such as activists.
According to leaked Amnesty International data, tens of thousands of personal mobile phones are suspected to be targeted by NSO Group customers or governments that already own Pegasus. One of them includes the French president, Emanuel Macron.
Well, of the 67 cell phones suspected of being infected with Pegasus, many iPhones fell victim. This is said to prove that even the iPhone is not safe from Pegasus attacks, as this software is very sophisticated in infiltrating mobile phones.
Quoted from Phone Arena, Pegasus can infect an iPhone without the user clicking anything. “So they may not realize that they are running spyware even though they have done everything right and haven’t clicked a suspicious link,” Phone Arena said.
“The recent‘ zero click ’attack has been seen exploiting a fully patched iPhone 12 running iOS 14.6 in July 2021,” Amnesty International said.
All important data can be transported by Pegasus including email, text messages, user location to gain access to the microphone and camera. Apple was asked to act to secure the iPhone from this Pegasus attack.
"Apple must have prevented something like Pegasus on the iPhone. But I doubt whether it can be fixed or if it was deliberately not fixed," said Swati Chaturvedi, an Indian investigative journalist who is also suspected of being a victim of Pegasus.
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