NSO Group allegedly hacked iPhones in new ways last year
What's the story
A Canadian research group called Citizen Lab has accused Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group of using at least three new methods to hack iPhones last year.
The procedures, called FINDMYPWN, PWNYOURHOME, and LATENTIMAGE, were allegedly used to target members of Mexican civil society, including human rights groups.
NSO Group was apparently successful in circumventing Apple's security measures to install spyware for real-time surveillance.
Investigation
How did the issue come to light?
Last year, during a joint investigation with a Mexican NGO Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales, Citizen Lab found evidence of spyware deployment.
The list of victims included members of the human rights group Centro PRODH, which represents military abuse victims in Mexico.
During subsequent investigations, Citizen Lab also claimed to have found that civil society targets around the world were being targeted.
Nature
How did NSO Group hack devices?
NSO Group allegedly used zero-click exploit chains to hack Apple devices on behalf of its clients.
When zero-click methods are used, devices can get infected with malware even if the users do not click on malicious links.
NSO is claimed to have deployed its Pegasus spyware on the victims' devices to steal information and keep real-time watch on them via the cameras and microphones.
Steps
Let us see how the alleged hacks were performed
NSO Group customers allegedly used at least three iOS 15 and iOS 16 zero-click exploit chains against civil society targets worldwide.
Citizen Lab found the first zero-click exploit (LATENTIMAGE) on a single target's phone (iOS version 15.1.1) on January 17, 2022.
This hack was a single-step one and is believed to have involved the iPhone's Find My facility.
Exploits
What about the other zero-click methods?
The second zero-click was FINDMYPWN. It was deployed against iOS 15 starting in June 2022. It is claimed to be a two-step exploit, with the first step targeting the iPhone's Find My feature, and the second, the iMessage.
The third zero-click, PWNYOURHOME, was used against iOS 15 and iOS 16 beginning in October 2022. It was also a two-step hack, targeting HomeKit, and iMessage.
Prowess
Apple's Lockdown Mode prevented hacking attempts
Citizen Lab claims that for a brief period, iOS 16 users with the Lockdown Mode enabled, received real-time warnings when PWNYOURHOME was being used to hack their devices. It is unclear whether NSO Group found a loophole.
Lockdown Mode was introduced by the Cupertino tech giant last year to provide enhanced security to users at risk of being targeted by spyware.