Mansoor sent Citizen Lab the original messages that included all of the malicious and infected links.
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Noticed that your iPhone has a new 9.3.5 update available?
Ahmed Mansoor, a well-known human rights defender and dissident in the United Arab Emirates, alerted Citizen Lab to the spyware after receiving an unusual text message on August 10.
Phishing Scheme After receiving a suspicious text with a link, he reported the matter to Citizen Lab, which worked in conjunction with San Francisco-based Lookout to research the affair. For users running the beta of iOS 10, the latest seed also patches the exploits. Instead, he immediately notified Citizen Lab about the incident and they were able to idenitfy a huge security breach in the Iphone’s iOS which the hackers were trying to exploit.
An Israeli company named NSO Group is said to be behind the tools that were used in a hacking attempt on a human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates, however details of the ultra-secretive company are not known.
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It was acquired by the US firm Francisco Partners Management six years ago, according to Lookout and Citizen. The version may not be safe from other vulnerabilities found by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which did not disclose them to Apple. By clicking on the text link, Mansoor would have unwittingly installed the malware and allowed the sender full access to his communications. From there, hackers would have implanted his phone with malware that was capable of logging encrypted messages, activating the microphone, and tracking the phone’s movements. However, the iOS 9.3.5 update is quite crucial from the security point of view and we would strongly advise you to update to the latest iOS version. “The company sells only to authorized governmental agencies, and fully complies with strict export control laws and regulations”, a spokesperson told The New York Times. “The agreements signed with the company’s customers require that the company’s products only be used in a lawful manner”.
