In light of Charlie Kirk (and other events) - do you regularly check your phone for spyware? Apple’s iPhone Spyware Problem Is Getting Worse.
Spyware is often used to target specific individuals. It effectively operates like a stalker in the smartphone space, learning the iPhone user’s behavior and secrets. This allows hackers to obtain access to the user or exploit the information uncovered by the spyware in some way. For victims of targeting by spyware, nothing you do on, with, or even near your phone is private because it can read your emails, know your location, see your photos and even turn on the microphone and camera.
Human rights activists, journalists and many others across the world have been unlawfully targeted with spyware.
New York Times reporter Ben Hubbard learned his phone had been targeted a total of four times by the spyware while covering Middle Eastern affairs as part of his job, and other prominent journalists and advocates around the world have alleged Pegasus was used on their phones as well. NSO denied responsibility, and these cases gained international attention.
The risks and consequences associated with spyware in iPhones are many: spyware can act as a window into an individual’s daily activity and even give insight into how an individual thinks and operates. If our iPhone is a tool we use for everyday tasks, it’s also a window into our minds. Since some spyware can access the mic on a smartphone and allow a person to view everything a user types, privacy and security can be deeply impacted. It can know your location, access information from your apps, and even uncover your passwords. Nothing is safe if spyware is installed on your device.
Some spyware is installed through accidentally clicking on a link, but spyware like Pegasus, involves the use of a zero-click exploit: the user does not have to click a link for the spyware to be installed.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2023/12/what-is-spyware-and-what-you-can-do-to-stay-protected/