Apple has just issued an emergency security update as the dreaded Pegasus Spyware is now on the loose.
After initially being discovered back in 2016, the Israel-based NSO Group along with its notorious Pegasus spyware have reportedly caused quite the chaos.
Pegasus Spyware Could Make Its Way to Apple Devices
According to the story by TheNextWeb, the chaos ranges from exploiting certain WhatsApp flaws, going all the way through to the shocking Bezos hack.
The latest chapter of this particular book of mayhem now impacts Apple.
The company has reportedly issued an emergency security update for Macs, iPhones, and Apple Watches to stop a potential vulnerability that the Pegasus might be able to exploit.
Before going into why users might want to update their devices, here's more about the Pegasus spyware.
What is the Pegasus Issue?
The Pegasus is reportedly a spyware that was developed by a certain Israel-based NSO group that could actually reside on one's phone and simply capture their data. It is reportedly a piece of software that isn't detectable and it can potentially look at a device's messages and even drop in on their calls.
Just recently, 500,000 Fortinet VPN user passwords were shared on a dark web forum, which goes to show how important cybersecurity is.
The spyware is reportedly known as a particular "zero-click remote execution" type of malware. This means that cybercriminals can actually install it on one's device without the need to interact with anyone.
Just last year, WhatsApp actually sued the NSO Group for possibly infecting the mobile phones of over 1,400 activists and journalists across the world.
The new Apple security update report noted that the currently plugged bug could have actually been exploited by some sort of specially crafted PDF file. This would mean that since Citizen Labs' discovery back in March, Apple products like iPhones and other products could have been vulnerable to the dreaded Pegasus.
Read Also: Woman Suing Hospital for $3.5 Million After DNA Test Reveals She was Switched at Birth
How to Update Your Apple Device
In order to update a users' iPad, iPhone, or other Apple products, follow the instructions below.
For iPad or iPhone: Click on Settings and go to General. Click on the Software updates and download the new iPadOS 14.8 or iOS 14.8 packages.
For Apple Watch: when connected to the WiFi, go to the Settings app and click on General. Once done, click on the Software Update. The new version number for the recent security update is WatchOS 7.6.2.
For the Macs: When on a Mac, click on the Apple icon on the menu bar. Easily click on the About this Mac section. Click on the Software Update option. The new security update version number should be MacOS 11.6.
The article by TheNextWeb noted that users of Apple Devices should in fact update them right away.
There are multiple ways to protect one's devices, but aside from that, it is also important to steer away from fake news.
Reverse image search is one way for users to avoid fake news by finding out the origin of a certain image and if it is legit.
Related Article: Apple Pay is Hit with the Company's 5th Patent Infringement Lawsuit from RFCyber!
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
