iPhone Users, Beware: Another Pegasus-Like Spyware Has Been Sold To Governments

Remember Pegasus, the software allegedly used by the government and other agencies to spy on people’s cell phones? It appears another Israeli firm apart from NSO Group is exploiting the vulnerabilities of Apple Inc.’s AAPL smartphones. 

What Happened: QuaDream, an Israeli company, has developed a spyware tool called “Reign,” which has similarities to Pegasus, as per a report by Citizen Lab that analyzed samples shared by Microsoft Corporation’s MSFT Threat Intelligence. 

This tool enables governments to monitor their potential adversaries by allowing them to track their activities.

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The rapport stated that the exploit was deployed as a zero-day against iOS 14.4 and 14.4.2. It appears to take advantage of invisible iCloud calendar invitations sent from the spyware’s operator to the victim’s device.

Similar to how Pegasus software worked, once installed, Reign can also record audio of calls, take photographs using the camera, generate iCloud 2FA passwords, track location and clean up traces to minimize detection. 

Why It’s Important: While the report did not reveal the names of the victims at this point, it has identified at least five civil society victims, including notable journalists, political opposition figures and an NGO worker spread across North America, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East. 

The report also cited media reports saying QuaDream has sold its products, including Reign, to “government clients” like Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Ghana and pitched services to Indonesia and Morocco.

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