IPhone hacking alert
Apple users urged to update their software as flaws that could take control are found
MAJOR security flaws have been detected in Apple devices that could let hackers take complete control without users knowing.
Britons are being urged to update their iPhones, iPads, Apple watches and Mac computers immediately over fears criminals may have already ‘exploited’ the weaknesses.
The vulnerabilities could allow criminals to view a user’s location, read their messages, see their contacts and potentially even access the camera and microphone.
It is not the first time the tech giant has admitted to finding bugs within its operating system, having already issued five separate warnings so far this year.
Previous flaws have been exploited by spyware firms to target high-profile figures such as journalists and human rights activists across Europe and dozens of other countries.
However ordinary users have been encouraged to ‘ stay calm’ and protect themselves by installing the latest software update.
On Wednesday, Apple released security reports for two separate bugs that were flagged to the company by an ‘anonymous researcher’. One was discovered within the ‘kernel’, which is at the core of the operating system that all devices have in common. The other was found in ‘Web
Kit’, the key software that turns code into what we see on our screens.
Apple said it was aware both flaws ‘may have been actively exploited’ – meaning an attacker may have already used them against one or more devices. Experts warned it would give hackers ‘full admin access’ to the device, allowing them to impersonate its owner and then run any software in their name.
Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET Internet Security, told Mail-Online: ‘Attackers would be able to see your location, read messages, view contacts lists and potentially even access the microphone and camera.
‘Everyone should err on the side of caution by updating their devices but those in the public eye such as activists, politicians and journalists should act quicker due to previously becoming targets of nation state spying.’
Mercenary spyware – tools that can be used to hack into phones and control them remotely – has become a major concern for Apple and other phone makers.
Israeli firm NSO Group is notorious for finding such flaws in Apple’s systems and deploying malware to infect the smartphones of high-profile targets and steal data and carry out surveillance.
Professor Alan Woodward, cyber security specialist at the University of Surrey, said Apple were being ‘very tight-lipped’ about the latest flaws and called on the company to reveal how many people had been impacted.
Apple has previously acknowledged around a dozen similarly serious flaws within its devices. But it has played down the threat to customers, emphasising such hacks affect relatively few users.
This autumn, Apple is launching a ‘lockdown mode’ designed to protect devices when such flaws are found and intended for users who face ‘grave, targeted threats to their digital security’.