Apple Reportedly Notified Some U.S. State Department Employees They May Have Been Targeted by NSO Group Spyware

[MacRumors]

Apple has notified at least nine U.S. Department of State employees that they may have been targeted by state-sponsored spyware created by Israeli company NSO Group, according to a Reuters report citing four people familiar with the matter.

A spokesperson for NSO Group told Reuters that it will investigate and take legal action against customers using its tools illegally if necessary.

"If our investigation shall show these actions indeed happened with NSO's tools, such customer will be terminated permanently and legal actions will take place," said an NSO spokesperson, who added that NSO will also "cooperate with any relevant government authority and present the full information we will have."

Last month, Apple filed a lawsuit against NSO Group to "hold it accountable" for state-sponsored spyware targeting Apple users. Apple also said it would contribute $10 million to organizations pursuing cybersurveillance research and advocacy.

Apple said NSO Group's "spyware product" Pegasus was used to attack a "very small number of users" across multiple platforms, including iOS and Android.

Apple's legal complaint provides new information on NSO Group's FORCEDENTRY, an exploit for a now-patched vulnerability previously used to break into a victim's Apple device and install the latest version of NSO Group's spyware product, Pegasus. […]

To deliver FORCEDENTRY to Apple devices, attackers created Apple IDs to send malicious data to a victim's device — allowing NSO Group or its clients to deliver and install Pegasus spyware without a victim's knowledge. Though misused to deliver FORCEDENTRY, Apple servers were not hacked or compromised in the attacks.

Apple said NSO Group's spyware could allow for attackers to "access the microphone, camera, and other sensitive data on Apple and Android devices." Apple added that iOS 15 includes new security protections and, as of November 23, Apple said it had not observed any evidence of successful remote attacks against devices running any iOS 15 version.

In a support document, Apple said it would notify users who may have been targeted by email and iMessage "in accordance with industry best practices."

If Apple discovers activity consistent with a state-sponsored attack, we notify the targeted users in two ways:

- A Threat Notification is displayed at the top of the page after the user signs into appleid.apple.com.
- Apple sends an email and iMessage notification to the email addresses and phone numbers associated with the user's Apple ID.

These notifications provide additional steps that notified users can take to help protect their devices.

Through the lawsuit and notifications, Apple aims to cut down on the abuse of state-sponsored spyware.

"State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability," said Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi. "That needs to change."

(Thanks, Jordan Golson!)

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Notified Some U.S. State Department Employees They May Have Been Targeted by NSO Group Spyware

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

That’s a shame.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Great! And they didn’t do anything about it. SMH!

 

[8CoreWhore]

I sure would like to know which state is sponsoring spying on American state dept officials. Anyone know?

 

[NMBob]

"Effective accountability". Is that an oxymoron of some sort?

 

[robvalentine]

Does that mean nso group is suing all of their customers?

 

[deevey]

I sure would like to know which state is sponsoring spying on American state dept officials. Anyone know?

Probably Virginia

 

[gaximus]

But I’m sure we won’t have any issues if Apple is forced to make a back door. /s

 

[BWhaler]

Good stuff Apple. Shut these NSO clowns down…there is blood on their hands.

 

[indychris]

If there's one thing the US Govt hates, it's competition! There will be no end to the wrath when the state department finds out that someone is using their own tactics against them!

 

[4jasontv]

Later NSO Groups also reported:

With the help of government officials, we were able to identify no abuse of state-sponsored spyware. Therefore we see no reason to stop selling our spyware to government officials. We have asked government officials to be vigilant and notify us if they consider their use of our product abusive.

 

[ouimetnick]

I sure would like to know which state is sponsoring spying on American state dept officials. Anyone know?

Israel.

 

[8CoreWhore]

Israel.

Are you sure? It seems unlikely. I haven't heard the US isn't pulling our officials from there in protest. Surely it must be some other place. They are an ally after all. It must be Russia. Yes, that's it. It's Putin again.

 

[Sammy in SoCal]

Are you sure? It seems unlikely. I haven't heard the US isn't pulling our officials from there in protest. Surely it must be some other place. They are an ally after all. It must be Russia. Yes, that's it. It's Putin again.

Israel nearly owns the united states. They have the biggest lobby, AIPAC

 

[ponzicoinbro]

N S O appears to be aligned with Russian and Saudi interests. Happily selling their software to anti-democratic clients. Michael Flynn the US intel guy who turned into a Qanon fascist was listed as their advisor. Flynn was also pictured having dinner with Putin.

 

[julesme]

Israel.

It seems to me there are a number of candidates, but Israel is not likely to be one of them. According to Reuters, the targeted employees were based in Uganda, so whoever targeted the employees were likely interested in gaining information around US policy in that region. In addition, (per multiple press reports), past clients of NSO include Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and UAE. Saudi Arabia in particular allegedly leveraged NSO software a couple years ago to target Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was kidnapped at an embassy in Istanbul and dismembered.

 

[Websnapx2]

I sure would like to know which state is sponsoring spying on American state dept officials. Anyone know?

I don't think any are — the tool its self was state-sponsored in creation, but the usage is sold like any licenced software. The issue is that someone who licences the software is doing this — assumingly contrary to how they said they would use it when licensing it. That's why the NSO Spokesperson said "If our investigation shall show these actions indeed happened with NSO's tools, such customer will be terminated permanently and legal actions will take place."

Their wording is suspect though — it sounds like whoever they find they will kill, lol.

 

[visualseed]

The first step will be for Apple to inform their customers who was hacked. The second step will be for Apple to use discovery during their lawsuit against NSO to let the world know who hacked them which will probably include a lot of world governments. So the next time governments complain about needing the keys the kingdom to stop child abuse or terrorism, they can point out that when they did have the keys they mostly used them to spy on journalists, activists and foreign citizens working in their official capacities, etc..

 

[lazyrighteye]

I sure would like to know which state is sponsoring spying on American state dept officials. Anyone know?

Inside job, yo.

 

[NMBob]

Good stuff Apple. Shut these NSO clowns down…there is blood on their hands.

With lawyers?

 

[DPUser]

With lawyers?

It's a very interesting approach; might have more teeth than one initially imagines.

 

[diddl14]

Smells like a Giuliani type of thing...

 

[DaveN]

Later NSO Groups also reported:

With the help of government officials, we were able to identify no abuse of state-sponsored spyware. Therefore we see no reason to stop selling our spyware to government officials. We have asked government officials to be vigilant and notify us if they consider their use of our product abusive.

Good one

 

[DeepIn2U]

That’s a shame.

But wait Apple where is my notification/contact?

 

[CarlJ]

I sure would like to know which state is sponsoring spying on American state dept officials. Anyone know?

I think you don't understand what the phrase "state-sponsored" means in this context.