Pegasus can hack latest iPhones, here’s what Apple has to say – Times of India

The latest Pegasus snooping incident on journalists and activists have revealed that no matter which smartphone you use, you are hackable. While Apple’s iOS boasts of providing better security and privacy over Android, the highly-sophisticated Pegasus spyware is simply overwhelming for almost all consumer devices. And that’s the reason why government agencies across 40 countries are paying top dollar to set up the IT infrastructure required for Pegasus to function.
Talking about iPhones, it may be disappointing to know that despite paying more money to buy the latest iPhone, it is hackable. Apple in an official statement said, “The attacks described in the reporting are well-funded, highly-sophisticated, and targeting specific individuals. While we take them seriously and work to quickly render them unusable, they do not represent a threat for the vast majority of iPhone users.”

If governments use brute ‘IT force’ to snoop on citizens, there’s very little consumer tech companies can do to protect privacy. As for NSO Group and Apple, it has always been a cat and mouse game. The moment Apple patches a vulnerability, NSO Group finds another weakness to continue with its snooping using Pegasus.
Ivan Krstić, head of Apple Security Engineering and Architecture in a statement to the media said, “Apple unequivocally condemns cyberattacks against journalists, human rights activists, and others seeking to make the world a better place. For over a decade, Apple has led the industry in security innovation and, as a result, security researchers agree iPhone is the safest, most secure consumer mobile device on the market. Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals. While that means they are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections for their devices and data.”
Cybersecurity is a process
Apple claims that it has created the most secure consumer platform in the world with iOS. “Like others in the industry, we view security as a process. As part of that process, we rapidly address critical vulnerabilities and provide security updates that are immediately available to our users, even on devices that are years old,” said Apple.
Apple recently introduced new security features in its chipsets like Pointer Authentication Codes and BlastDoor capabilities in its software. “Our continued investment in security means the security team has grown significantly, with growth of about 4x in the last 5 years. The team is comprised of many top experts in their field, ranging from threat intelligence specialists and offensive security researchers to platform defense engineers and everything in between,” it added.