New flaw in Apple devices led to spyware infection: Update your iOS now

Researchers at digital watchdog group Citizen Lab announced Sept. 7 they found spyware they linked to Israeli firm NSO that exploited a newly discovered flaw in Apple devices. 

While inspecting the Apple device of an employee of a Washington-based civil society group last week, Citizen Lab said it found the flaw had been used to infect the device with NSO's Pegasus spyware, it said in a statement. 

Citizen Lab said Apple confirmed to them that using the high security feature "Lockdown Mode" available on Apple devices blocks this particular attack. 

The flaw allowed compromise of iPhones running the latest version of iOS (16.6) without any interaction from the victim, the digital watchdog said. The new update fixes this vulnerability. 

Apple issued new updates on its devices after investigating the flaws reported by Citizen Lab. An Apple spokesperson said it had no further comment, while Citizen Lab urged consumers to update their devices. 

The Israeli firm has been blacklisted by the U.S. government since 2021 for alleged abuses, including surveillance of government officials and journalists.