Apple Defends Iphone from Latest Security Breach

Critical Security Breach

Apple fixed a critical security software flaw, which was up until Thursday, enabled hackers to easily invade Iphones with spyware and transform the phones into tracking devices that can take pictures and video record data of the unsuspecting owner.

Middle East Hackers

Apple was alerted of the security breach this week when hackers attempted to install spyware on an Iphone owned by a man named Ahmed Mansoor who was working as a human rights activitist in the United Arab Emirates.

Citizen Lab, a political watchdog, reported that last August 10 Mr. Mansoor got SMS messages on his iPhone from a stranger who apparently wanted to share information about prisoners who are under torture in UAE jails.

The stranger shared a link in the SMS but Mr. Mansoor did not take the bait. Instead, he immediately notified Citizen Lab about the incident and they were able to idenitfy a huge security breach in the Iphone's iOS which the hackers were trying to exploit.

Citizen Lab Lookout

Citizen Lab contacted Lookout, a San Francisco-based cyber security firm, to help verify the existence of the security breach. Together they both informed Apple about the security threat which the company immediately addressed by creating a security patch and quickly making it avaialble to users. 

Apple said, "We were made aware of this vulnerability and immediately fixed it with iOS 9.3.5. We advise all of our customers to always download the latest version of iOS to protect themselves against potential security exploits."

The Apple's security patch was launched at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday.