Tech News Summary:
- The Indian government is investigating whether agencies linked to the Chinese government were behind a spyware attack on Apple iPhones received by several Indian opposition politicians and journalists.
- Apple has issued threat notifications to individuals in 150 countries, with at least 20 Indians receiving the notifications in the past month, indicating potential vulnerabilities in the iPhone operating system.
- A detailed questionnaire has been sent to Apple by CERT-In regarding the vulnerabilities in the operating system, and the investigation raises concerns about potential state-sponsored attacks on mobile devices in India.
The United States government has launched an investigation into China-linked agencies for their alleged involvement in a spyware attack targeting Apple devices.
The spyware attack, which was discovered by cybersecurity firm Citizen Lab, targeted Apple’s iMessage service and was capable of infecting the devices of users without the need for any interaction from the victims.
According to Citizen Lab, the attack was carried out using a sophisticated and previously unknown exploit that could bypass Apple’s security measures. The spyware was capable of monitoring and exfiltrating a user’s messages, photos, and other sensitive information.
The US government has attributed the attack to China-linked agencies and has initiated a probe into the matter. The investigation is expected to determine the extent of China’s involvement and to impose potential sanctions or diplomatic actions in response to the attack.
This incident adds to the growing tensions between the US and China over cybersecurity and intellectual property theft. It also raises questions about the security and privacy of Apple’s devices, which are widely used by individuals and organizations around the world.
Apple has not yet commented on the attack or the investigation, but the company is likely to work with the government and cybersecurity experts to mitigate the impact of the spyware and prevent future attacks on its devices.