Unknown malware targets iPhones of 13 VVIPs in India
Industry-leading threat intelligence group, Cisco Talos has discovered that a malware was used in a precise, targeted manner to infect 13 iPhones in India and steal data for three years. It's suspected that phones belonged to VVIPs, as yet unidentified. Meanwhile, the team which detected the malware said that the attacker was likely to be an Indian, who tried to pose as a Russian.
French security researcher Elliot Alderson tweets the finding
Extremely personal data was stolen, according to security researchers.
Experts from Talos security, and researchers at Cisco said that the attacker had used certain techniques to add features to legitimate apps, including messaging apps like WhatsApp. Data stolen from the iPhone devices includes phone number, serial number, location, contacts, user's photos, SMSes, WhatsApp messages, and Telegram messages, said the team of security researchers.
The attacker's identity remains a mystery for now
It's just known that the attacker(s) used email domains from Russia and Russian names, but had two numbers registered with Vodafone. Additionally, the security researchers said that while the iPhone's vulnerability to such breaches is rare, the attack goes on to demonstrate that the iPhone does have a vulnerable sector through which a lot of information can be stolen.
