Researchers discovered a vulnerability that was used to infect iPhones with Pegasus Spyware; Released iOS 16.6.1 with security fixes

Citizen Lab researchers stated on Thursday that they identified malware connected to Israeli business NSO that exploited a recently disclosed hole in Apple devices. Citizen Lab discovered the issue while reviewing the Apple smartphone of an employee of a Washington-based civil society organisation last week, it said in a statement.

"This demonstrates that civil society is once again serving as an early warning system for really sophisticated attacks," said John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab, which is housed at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

Citizen Lab did not disclose any more information on the affected individual or business.

According to the digital watchdog, the loophole permitted the penetration of iPhones running the most recent version of iOS (16.6) without any involvement from the victim.

After reviewing the problems highlighted by Citizen Lab, Apple released fresh upgrades for their devices. An Apple spokeswoman declined to say further, while Citizen Lab recommended users to upgrade their devices.

According to an NSO representative, the NSO has no immediate comment on the Citizen Lab findings.

The US government has banned the Israeli corporation since 2021 for alleged violations such as spying on government officials and journalists.