Apple and Google have rolled out multiple software updates after discovering a hacking campaign that targeted an unknown number of users across their platforms.
The attacks were serious enough that both companies moved quickly to fix security flaws that were already being used by hackers.
On Wednesday, Google released updates for its Chrome browser to fix several security bugs. The company confirmed that one of these bugs was being actively exploited before the fix was available. At first, Google did not share details about who discovered the flaw or how it was being used, which is unusual for the company.
Two days later, Google updated its disclosure and revealed that the bug had been discovered by Apple’s security engineering team along with Google’s Threat Analysis Group. This team usually tracks attacks linked to government hackers and commercial spyware groups. The involvement of these teams suggests the hacking campaign may have been carried out by state-backed actors.
Around the same time, Apple released security updates for many of its products, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TV, Vision Pro, and the Safari browser. Apple said it fixed two security flaws affecting iPhones and iPads and warned that it was aware the bugs may have been used in an extremely sophisticated attack targeting specific individuals using older versions of iOS.
This type of warning is typically used by Apple when zero-day vulnerabilities are involved. Zero-day bugs are security flaws that hackers exploit before the software company knows they exist or has time to fix them. In past cases, similar attacks have been linked to government spyware tools used to target journalists, activists, and political dissidents.
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Neither Apple nor Google has shared how many users were affected by the attacks. Both companies also declined to comment further when asked about the hacking campaign. (via Techcrunch)
