Featured
Google’s Elite Hacking Team Reveals Bug in iPhone
(Bloomberg) — On the same day Apple revealed the date for its latest iPhone event, Google’s privacy team said it had discovered a two-year-long vulnerability in the iPhone software.
Read: Apple Readies Camera-Focused Pro iPhones, New iPads, Larger MacBook Pro
The bug targeted a small number of websites. Simply visiting those pages could have left iPhone users susceptible to the breach and possibly affected thousands of users per week, Google Zero wrote in a number of blog posts on Thursday.
Visiting the unnamed sites allowed hackers to gain access to a plethora of information, including the ability to track movements via the phone’s GPS system, to obtaining passwords and being privy to sensitive conversations through iMessage and WhatsApp.
Read: How Android Rose Up to Challenge Apple
The report from Google came at the same time Apple announced the date for unveiling its next iPhones, and potentially a slew of other products. Earlier in August Apple’s top security engineer said the company would begin distributing special iPhones to researchers to help them discover flaws before malicious hackers do.
The bug-hunting hackers at Google reported the issue to Apple on Feb. 1 and, less than a week later, Apple updated its operating systems. Apple did not return a request for comment.
Google’s Project Zero is an elite unit of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, made up of cybersleuths who hunt for “zero day” vulnerabilities — unintended design flaws that can be exploited by hackers to break into computer systems.
“All that users can do is be conscious of the fact that mass exploitation still exists and behave accordingly,” Ian Beer, a Project Zero researcher, wrote in a blog post. “Treating their mobile devices as both integral to their modern lives, yet also as devices which when compromised, can upload their every action into a database to potentially be used against them.”
Read: Trump Says Apple’s Cook Concerned About Losing Edge to Samsung With Tariffs
Beer said attackers exploited fourteen different software flaws, including seven which targeted Safari, the Apple product’s built-in web browser. Through developing five distinct entry points, the cybercriminals could access various features on the phone, including those usually off-limits to users. This meant hackers could quietly install malware onto the device without the owner knowing.
A brightside is the bug isn’t persistent. Simply rebooting the device will wipe it clear, unless it is at risk again. However, Beer said hackers could continue having access to accounts they had passwords for even after they lost the ability to get new information from the phone.
-
Dossier1 month agoDossier, 2026
-
OER Magazines1 month agoOER, February 26
-
Banking & Finance1 month agoSohar International and Sohar Islamic Supports Over 100 Families in Al Wusta Governorate Through Its ‘Sohar Al Attaa’ Initiative
-
Banking & Finance1 month agoNational Finance Unveils Exclusive Ramadan Offers on Auto Financing
-
Economy1 month agoMiddle East Tensions Heighten Risks to Strait of Hormuz, Raising Uncertainty for Global Oil Markets
-
Economy1 month agoAnalysis: Oman-India CEPA Opens Path to Deeper Trade Investment and Growth
-
Economy1 month agoANALYSIS: Oil Near Seven-Month Highs Amid US, Iran Tensions
-
Education2 months agoJebel View International School to Launch in Muscat in September 2026 & Now Open to Visit

You must be logged in to post a comment Login