Apple files lawsuit against NSO Group for spying on iPhone users

Because it is important: California-based tech giant Apple filed a federal case against the company responsible for deploying the spyware identified in a recent security incident. In September, the University of Toronto-based Citizen Lab identified an iPhone vulnerability exploited by a well-known cybersecurity / cyberwarfare company. The Pegasus developer claims that its software has helped save thousands of lives around the world and has stopped numerous crimes, but has yet to provide the data to support that claim.

The lawsuit was filed against the NSO Group and parent company Q Cyber ​​Technologies, neither of which is alien to the security holders. The Israel-based company is responsible for developing and implementing Pegasus, a spyware application for mobile devices capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, and tracking location on iOS and Android devices.

The lawsuit is related to the recent Apple. emergency updates, which were implemented after discovering a vulnerability in your iMessages application known as FORCED TRAINING. The exploit takes advantage of an artifact known as CASCADEFAIL that prevents data and evidence from being completely removed from a user’s phone. According to Toronto’s Citizen Lab, the vulnerability was attributed to the NSO group after observing that partial deletions only occurred in the presence of Pegasus spyware.

According to Apple, NSO creates state-sponsored technologies that are used to conduct surveillance against users without alerting them that their data has been compromised. The lawsuit seeks to claim damages from the developer and prevent NSO from using Apple-related products and services in the future. This court order would help prevent any further harm related to NSO spyware to Apple and iOS users. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a Ninth Circuit ruling that NSO and Q Cyber ​​were not sovereign entities, leaving them vulnerable to a pending Facebook. lawsuit.

Apple has pledged $ 10 million, in addition to damages received from the lawsuit, to continue funding cyber surveillance and advocacy groups such as the Citizen lab and Amnesty Tech. These human rights organizations provide critical data and research that helps ensure that freedom of expression and privacy online are not adversely affected by digital espionage, various types of filtering, or any other technology designed to affect the online freedoms of people. a person.

Image Credit: IPhone lock screen by Youssef Sarhan