Apple turned red, Tuesday, over news that the National Security Agency (NSA) enjoyed 100 percent success rate in hacking the iPhone and were even developing a system that could remotely compromise the smartphone.
Apple said it has never partnered with NSA to "create a backdoor" in any of its products, including the iPhone.
"We care deeply about our customers' privacy and security. Our team is continuously working to make our products even more secure, and we make it easy for customers to keep their software up to date with the latest advancements," Apple said.
"Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple's industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers. We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who's behind them," the company said.
According to German magazine, Der Spiegel, documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden reveal that NSA had launched a hacking program, dubbed DROPOUTJEEP, as early as 2008, for specifically targetting the iPhone. The program, which included intercepting SMS, accessing onboard data, activating the built-in microphone, and tracking the user via geolocation history, was an enormous success. However, as a physical access was necessary to implant the spyware, the secretive intelligence agency was also developing a system so that the software could be installed remotely.
The agency "literally claim that anytime they target an iOS device, that it will succeed for implantation," security expert Jacob Applebaum said in the Der Spiegel report.
The news didn't seem to dampen confidence of investors as Apple shares traded 1.04 percent up at $560.27 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday afternoon.
