Pegasus spyware exploits vulnerability in Apple devices

Spyware from Israeli firm NSO was used to exploit a newly discovered flaw in Apple devices, according to digital watchdog group Citizen Lab. 

They discovered the flaw when examining the device of an employee from a Washington-based civil society group. Citizen Lab is confident in attributing the exploit to NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The installation of the spyware was likely a mistake by the attacker, allowing Citizen Lab to find it. 

Apple has confirmed that activating the "Lockdown Mode" feature on their devices blocks this attack. The affected individual and organization have not been disclosed. 

The flaw allowed iPhones running the latest version of iOS to be compromised without any interaction from the victim, but Apple has released an update to fix it. The U.S. government has blacklisted NSO for alleged abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists.

- CyberBeat