Apple spyware is serious, but most likely won’t attack you

Finding that Apple users have been attacked by malware spyware is very serious, but in the company’s opinion, it is most likely not targeting ordinary consumers.

With recent news that Apple users have been attacked by malware spyware, people are understandably confused about what this means for their own devices.

Independent Researchers Find A Vulnerability That Apple Quickly Reported Citizen Labwho also claim that the software may have existed since February of this year.

It is now believed that spyware was used primarily to target journalists and activists, in particular a Saudi activist. However, since hackers managed to infiltrate users ‘phones through the iMessage app, it is believed that this surveillance software may be present on ordinary consumers’ phones.

“After identifying the vulnerability exploited by this exploit for iMessage, Apple quickly developed and deployed a fix in iOS 14.8 to protect our users,” said Ivan Krstic, head of development and security architecture at Apple, in a press release.

“Attacks like these are very sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals.

“While this means they do not pose a threat to the vast majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to protect all of our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections to their devices and data.”

This means that while this spyware threat is still serious, it is unlikely that most of Apple’s consumers will fall victim, as Apple itself has admitted that it looks like a targeted attack on specific individuals.

Regardless, it is still very important for any Apple user to update their device, including iOS, watchOS, and macOS. This can basically be done by going into Settings, clicking General, and then clicking Software Updates to check if you have any available. For iPhone users, this update is called 14.8.