Apple has warned journalists working for some Russian media outlets that their iPhones could be compromised by surveillance software called Pegasus.
As first reported by cybersecurity watchdog AccessNow, an unknown group targeted Galina Timchenko, a journalist with independent Russian media outlet Meduza, in June 2023 using Pegasus spyware.
The New York Times reports that Apple eventually sent notifications to iPhone users to several Russian media outlets, warning them that state actors may have compromised their phones with the spyware.
Pegasus is able to recover messages, media and contact information from infected phones without alerting the user. The New York Times claims that some governments, including those of Mexico and Saudi Arabia, have used the software to spy on journalists and other groups.
On its website, Apple says such attacks — and the warnings it sends when it detects them — target specific individuals.
“These users are targeted individually because of who they are or what they do,” the company writes. “Unlike traditional cybercriminals, state-sponsored attackers use exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices, making these attacks much more difficult to detect and prevent.”
SEE MORE: Why Apple urges you to update your iPhone software ASAP
Pegasus risk also contributed to Apple’s decision to release emergency security patches in early September.
The company said “processing a maliciously crafted image” was all it took to allow Pegasus to access a device.
Software update is available for iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later versions.
To update an iOS device, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
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