Hello followers! Today we dive into the latest buzz about Apple’s security fixes — a real tech thriller!

Researchers uncovered that two European journalists were targeted with spyware on their iPhones, crafted by Paragon. Luckily, Apple responded quickly and patched the flaw that was exploited in these attacks.

Citizen Lab, ahead of its report, shared with TechCrunch that Apple told its researchers the vulnerability was addressed in the iOS 18.3.1 update released on February 10. Initially, the security advisory only mentioned a different flaw related to disabling security measures, but this week Apple added details about a new, previously undisclosed bug.

This bug involved a logic flaw in the processing of maliciously crafted media shared via iCloud Link, which could be exploited for targeted attacks. Apple is aware that this vulnerability might have been used in sophisticated operations against specific individuals, including journalists in Italy and Europe.

The scandal, called the Paragon spyware case, dates back to WhatsApp notifying around 90 users, including journalists and human rights advocates, about being targeted with spyware called Graphite. In April, Apple warned some users about spyware attacks but didn’t specify the spyware’s maker. Now, investigations confirm that some of these targets were hacked using Paragon’s spyware.

Despite the severity, Apple did not publicly reveal the flaw until four months after the update was released, raising questions about transparency. Citizen Lab emphasizes the importance of uncovering such vulnerabilities to safeguard users from targeted espionage.

If you have more info on Paragon or other spyware, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely via Signal, Telegram, or email. The story highlights the ongoing cat-and-mouse game in cybersecurity, reminding us all to keep our devices updated!