In a rare situation, Google is warning iPhone users of multiple zero-day vulnerability threats that can be exploited to hack devices. In fact, the company explains that government hackers have used this flaw to target iPhone users with spyware.
The details of this threat have been provided by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), responsible for monitoring and informing the public about hacking attempts made by governments. The group has specifically talked about a Spanish startup called Variston that has been developing spyware used to exploit sellers.
This is where the TAG has referred to a hacking attempt by a group working for the government that knew about the zero-day issues which Apple didn’t know about.
Google has already kept Variston on its radar after analysing the company multiple times over malware in 2022 and then in 2023.
iPhone users face various security threats but generally Apple is aware of these issues and releases a patch quickly to fix the loopholes. However, zero-day threats are a big concern for giants like Google and Apple who need further association to help each other avoid major lapses that can be exploited in large numbers. So how is this zero-day attack any different and what method did the hackers use to exploit the issue?
Reports say the attackers used to send a malicious link via SMS to infect the iPhone that is infected by the vulnerability. Doing this is usually enough for bad actors to access the victim’s device and gain remote access to steal data and other information.
The report doesn’t talk about who used the spyware developed by Variston but going by the company’s profile, it is likely to be a government network. In addition to Variston, Google is tracking a few more companies involved in the business of making spyware such as Cy4Gate, RCS Lab and Negg.
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