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A flaw in Apple’s mobile operating system may have left millions of iPhone and iPad users vulnerable to hackers.
Research published by ZecOps, a mobile security company, said that a bug in the Mail app made the devices susceptible to sophisticated attacks.
The firm said it had “high confidence” the bug has been used to exploit at least six high-profile victims.
An Apple spokesperson told Reuters that a solution would be included in upcoming software updates.
ZecOps reported the error to Apple in March. The tech giant had not previously known about it.
To exploit this flaw, hackers would send an apparently blank message to an email account of iPhone or iPad users, the email application on iOS devices. When the email opened, it blocked the app and forced the user to restart. During the restart, hackers could access the information on the device.
What makes this attack different from other hacks is that users do not need to download any external software or visit a website that contains malicious software (malware). Hacks generally require some action by the victim; Those steps allow you to trace the origin of the attack.
The researchers said the bug could be exploited even on recent versions of iOS.
ZecOps claimed that it had found evidence that the error was used to attack known targets, including individuals from a Fortune 500 company in North America, an executive from a mobile phone operator in Japan, employees of technology companies in Saudi Arabia and Israel, a European journalist and an individual in Germany. The firm did not reveal the identities of the victims.
Apple products are generally considered more secure than other mobile devices. Experts say this shows how difficult it can be to detect underlying vulnerabilities.
