Why You Should Update Your iPhone Immediately

A compromised mobile device could lead to all types of headaches for your privacy. If you have an iPhone of iPad then it may be wise to immediately update its software to prevent a major security vulnerability. Don't lose any bitcoins or Steem!

On Thursday Apple issued a patch to fix a dangerous security flaw dubbed Pegasus in iPhones and iPads. Researchers found a dissident's phone from a prominent United Arab Emirates person had been hacked with a previously unknown method.

Supposedly the patch will stop three high-severity iOS vulnerabilities that are currently being exploited on infected iPhones where attackers are then able to steal confidential messages from Gmail, Facebook, WhatsApp and a large number of applications.

According to Lookout and Citizen Lab researchers:

Pegasus is the most sophisticated attack we’ve seen on any endpoint because it takes advantage of how integrated mobile devices are in our lives and the combination of features only available on mobile—always connected (WiFi, 3G/4G), voice communications, camera, email, messaging, GPS, passwords, and contact lists. It is modular to allow for customization and uses strong encryption to evade detection.

In this case, the software is highly configurable. Depending on the country of use and feature sets purchased by the user, the spyware capabilities include accessing messages, calls, emails, logs, and more from apps including Gmail, Facebook, Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, FaceTime, Calendar, Line, Mail.Ru, WeChat, SS, Tango, and others. The kit appears to persist even when the device software is updated and can update itself to easily replace exploits if they become obsolete.