iPhone researchers find one of the most sophisticated attacks ever

Attack allowed hackers to install software that would spy on phone’s users

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Security researchers looking at the iPhone have found the “most sophisticated attack chain we have ever seen”, they have warned.

Hackers were using a complex and detailed series of hacks to break into phones and load them with software that can be used to spy on their users, the researchers from cyber security company Kaspersky warned.

The attack was found by researchers after it was used on them. They revealed it this week in a presentation given to the Chaos Communication Congress, a cyber security event in Hamburg.

The attack began with an exploit that relied on iMessage. Users would receive a malicious attachment in a text message, which would then be processed by the app without the user seeing any sign.

That began a process that then exploited a total four of security bugs, researchers said. Each of them was a “zero day”, meaning that developers were not aware of the exploit.

The attack was in place until iOS 16.2, researchers said. The various bugs have been fixed in security updates since then – though devices that have not been updated to the latest software may still be at risk.

Apple has repeatedly warned that its devices are being hit by an increasing number of more and more sophisticated attacks. Last month, Apple’s head of security warned that the company was seeing an escalating battle with hackers who were looking for ways into Apple hardware.

“I think what’s happening is that that there are more and more avenues of attack. And that’s partly a function of wider and wider deployment of technology. More and more technology is being used in more and more scenarios,” Ivan Krstić told The Independent. “That is creating more opportunity for more attackers to come forward to develop some expertise to pick a niche that they want to spend their time attacking.”