Russia’s security service has accused the United States of
being behind a cyberattack on thousands of Apple devices as cybersecurity firm
Kaspersky Lab said it discovered spyware on iPhones used by its staff.
The FSB said on Thursday that the US National Security
Agency was in “close cooperation” with Apple as thousands of devices were
“infected” and that the telephone numbers of people working at Russian
embassies abroad were leaked.
Separately, Kaspersky said its researchers found previously
unknown malware on iOS devices and that dozens of its staff were targeted.
The antivirus software maker’s founder, Eugene Kaspersky,
said the devices received an “invisible iMessage” with a malicious attachment
which installs spyware.
He said the spyware then “quietly” transmits private
information to remove servers, including microphone recordings, photos from
instant messengers, geolocation and other data.
“We’re confident that Kaspersky was not the main target of
this cyberattack,” he said in a blog post.
The company said the oldest traces of infection date back to
2019 and that “the attack is ongoing”.
US regulators designated Kaspersky a “threat to national
security” in March 2022, after Moscow sent troops into neighbouring Ukraine.
Founded in 1997, Kaspersky has been accused of being close
to Russian intelligence services.
The company has 400 million customers worldwide.
