In recent days, news agencies have circulated many news about the Israeli spyware program Pegasus, which is used to hack phones, and it is alleged that it has been used to hack journalists, politicians, activists and even businessmen around the world.

But if you don't fall into these categories or are unlikely to be the target of a complex hacking operation, you may not care about this news which is wrong.

Ordinary people may feel that they are not the target of surveillance and spyware, but these people, especially those who participated in the marketing of certain products as safe as Apple phones, should reconsider the security of their devices, as recent incidents have proven that no phone is immune from hacking. .

Apple has long cemented its reputation as a safe alternative to rivals Microsoft and Google, whose Android operating system powers most of the world's phones other than the iPhone.

Apple has taken a well-known position against the US federal government twice by refusing to help the FBI unlock phones belonging to suspected terrorists, but you should know that the FBI was able to access those phones without Apple's help, and this should be your first clue However, iPhones and Macs are not impenetrable fortresses.

Now, multiple reports indicate 50,000 phones have been hacked by Pegasus and belong to people who were said to be potential targets, including thousands of iPhones.

The spyware, developed by the Israeli company NSO, can collect a target's phone data and access and record its location through its microphone and camera without their knowledge and without even clicking on a link.

The Israeli company that developed the program asserts that it only sells its technology to government agencies to investigate and combat terrorism and crime "for the sole purpose of saving lives," and described what was said in recent reports as a lie.

But news outlets that investigated the devices owned by the phone numbers on the list found that some people were targeted because they were investigating or speaking out against governments or powerful people, not because they were criminals or terrorists.

A detailed report from Amnesty International, which led the investigation in partnership with the nonprofit Forbidden Stories, shows how Pegasus used Apple's own apps, including Apple Photos and Apple Music. Music) and iMessage as attack vectors.

Some of the vulnerabilities were already known to security experts and researchers.

For example, a case was reported in which a hacker could send malware via iMessage to a target phone even if the recipient never clicked on anything, a case known for several years as a “zero-click” exploit.

Apple insiders told The Washington Post that they believe the company isn't doing enough to protect against known vulnerabilities or screen new products before they're released to the public.

The company told Apple Recode that the iPhone was "the most secure mobile device on the market" and that it was taking several steps to detect and fix new threats.

“Attacks like the ones described are extremely complex, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals. While this means they do not pose a threat to the vast majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly,” Apple said in a statement. To defend all our customers.

Safer device

Whether or not you are a potential spyware target, there are some actions you can take to make your devices more secure, such as updating your operating system and apps frequently.

For example, the iMessage exploit appears to have been addressed by an iOS 14 update, which isolates incoming messages from the rest of the phone's software (including the iMessage app itself) and tests them for ciphers. harmful.

The key word in Apple's defense of its phone is that it is "safer".

But this does not mean that it is "safe", nor is it a guarantee of anything.

The Pegasus investigation shows that iPhones - and any other Apple device - aren't 100% secure, and will always be in the catch-up game to fix vulnerabilities that hackers find and exploit.

This makes us sure that even the most secure devices and encrypted messaging apps can be hacked, although it is highly unlikely that they will be used against the average user.

But you shouldn't assume it's impossible for anyone else to get into our phones.