Users might have a new reason to upgrade to the latest iPhone models after reports emerged about a set of hacking tools used by cybercriminals to bypass security on iPhones running older software.
According to a blog post by Google Threat Intelligence, the exploit kit, named 'Coruna' has five full iOS (the software powering iPhones) exploit chains and 23 total exploits.
Evidence has surfaced that these hacking tools originate from "leaked US government framework", according to iVerify, a fact checking tool designed by the United Nations Development Program.
The most advanced variants have 'non-public exploitation techniques' and 'mitigation bypasses'. This means that they can hack into these Apple devices using methods not known to the wider general public and get past their built-in security features.
Google Threat Security urged users to update their iPhones to their latest operating systems as these exploits are ineffective against Apple's newer devices and software. In cases where updating the phone to the lates OS was not possible, they recommended enabling 'Lockdown Mode' in order to have imporved safeguards against potential threats
Available from iOS 16 onwards, Lockdown Mode limits the functions of features such as messaging, image sharing, web browsing and Face Time. This also stops the phone from connecting to unsecured Wi-FI networks.
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Google Threat Security stated that there may be an active market for these "second-hand" zero-day exploits, termed as such due to the fact that attackers can target flaws that developers are unaware of leaving them with zero days to fix it.
The organisation traced the exploit kit from highly targeted operations initially conducted by a customer of a surveillance vendor, and then detected its deployment in cyber attacks targeting Ukrainian users by suspected Russian espionage groups.
"We then retrieved the complete exploit kit when it was later used in broad-scale campaigns by UNC6691, a financially motivated threat actor operating from China," the blog post said.
iVerify noted that spyware is also attacking tech finance firms and political campaigns, beyond the usual targets which are often journalists and dissidents.
"Despite assurances from commercial spyware developers and the governments who purchase them that use will be limited to counterterrorism, only against criminals and by non-authoritarian administrations, the reality has begun to settle in, once spyware or an exploit capability is sold, control over the end customer is lost," it said in its blog post.
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