Apple released security update to prevent iPhone spyware

By Rida - 26 Aug '16 08:00AM
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Tech giant Apple was also a victim of spyware. Apple took a fast step in defeating these spyware flaws by releasing a security update. Users can relax now as this update from Apple will not allow any of the Apple devices to be accessed by hackers.

According to USAToday, the espionage software was discovered by Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent United Arab Emirates dissident, received a text message which invited him to click on a Web link on his iPhone 6. Ahmed Mansoor had been a victim in past and he cheated out the hackers by sending this link to University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

Researcher worked out with San Francisco based mobile security firm Lookout and found that a "sophisticated, targeted, and persistent mobile attack on iOS using three zero-day vulnerabilities we call 'Trident", which some have valued up to $1million.

Andrew Blaich, a staff researcher at Lookout said "As security breaches go, this is fairly serious, considering how fast Apple addressed it"

The spyware attack through the link will break into an iOS device and spy on information of the victim pertaining to Facebook, emails, calendars or any other important stuff in the device.

Apple's extremely fast step in releasing security update helps the users to keep their device safe from spywares. Apple's support released the link on how to download the security update -support-apple.

According to Fox News, Mansoor in an interview in downtown Ajman, United Arab Emirates said "It feels really good," and he added that developments "could save hundreds of people from being targets." The spyware texts were shown to the associated press in Ajman.

Citizen Lab and Lookout released two reports stating that how a tap of finger on a web link would have made hackers access to Ahmed Mansoor's mobile data. It would have given the hacker's free reign to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate camera and drain the phone's trove of personal data.

A strong step from Emirati dissident helped Apple to take rapid step to ensure the security of the Apple devices.

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