The celebrates "Pegasus" malware package also affects Mac desktops thus requiring software updates to cover vulnerabilities. (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
Apple has released an update for the OS X recently, believed to be similar to the patch rolled out for iOS devices. The security update is part of the Cupertino company’s initiative to address the “Pegasus” malware package that came out recently.
“Pegasus” was that malware package discovered last month which forced Apple to roll out iOS 9.3.5. The unscheduled release came forth after an Israeli group called NSO was reportedly taking advantage of three security vulnerabilities of the Apple mobile operating system.
According to the New York Times, the issue cropped up when a United Arab Emirates human activist, Ahmed Monsoor, began receiving unknown text messages. Suspicious, Monsoor sought the help of Citizen Lab who confirmed that the messages were part of a plan to track him using his iPhone.
Had Monsoor clicked on the link on the suspicious emails, such would have given attacked the power to read and intercept messages, access their contacts, and steal personal information from third-party apps. Some frequently used apps like Facebook, Gmail, Skype and Twitter could have been affected, not to mention collecting their passwords for each account.
Citizen Lab would call Apple’s attention on the matter, eventually explaining the swift release of iOS 9.3.5 that came mere weeks after the roll out of iOS 9.3.4. But it looks like the issue extends beyond mobile devices following a released patch for the Mac OS X.
Apple issued security update for OS X 10.10 Yosemite, OS X 10.11 El Capitan and Safari recently which is believed to be similar to the issue plaguing mobile devices, Apple Insider reported. It appears that the same vulnerabilities exist on Macs which cover kernel flaws once the links in the unsolicited messages are clicked.
With Apple’s efforts of patching up the security vulnerabilities, Pangu found itself as collateral damage. The hacking group recently came out with an iOS 9.3.4 jailbreak, now nullified with the release of iOS 9.3.5. With the patches, Apple users are now believed safe from the hack.
The video below weighs in more on the “Pegasus” issue and how users can avoid falling prey to malicious links from incoming messages.
