Another Israeli Firm, QuaDream, Caught Weaponizing iPhone Bug for Spyware

A now-patched security vulnerability in Apple iOS that was
previously found to be exploited by Israeli company NSO Group was
also separately weaponized by a different surveillance vendor named
QuaDream to hack into the company’s devices.

The development was reported by Reuters^[1], citing unnamed sources,
noting that “the two rival businesses gained the same ability last
year to remotely break into iPhones [and] compromise Apple phones
without an owner needing to open a malicious link.”

The zero-click exploit in question is FORCEDENTRY^[2], a flaw in iMessage that
could be leveraged to circumvent iOS security
protections^[3] and install spyware that
allowed attackers to scoop up a wealth of information such as
contacts, emails, files, messages, and photos, as well as access to
the phone’s camera and microphone.

QuaDream’s spyware, named REIGN, functions in a manner
similar to NSO Group’s Pegasus, granting its users full control of
the device. Apple addressed^[4]
the underlying defect in September 2021 and later sued NSO Group
for abusing the exploit^[5]
to attack iPhones with surveillanceware.

The disclosure comes as The New York Times released^[6]
an eye-opening report^[7]
late last month highlighting the use of Pegasus by the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) to help combat terrorism in Djibouti as
well as its purchase by a number of countries, including India^[8], Mexico, Saudi Arabia,
and the U.A.E.

The yearlong investigation also revealed that the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “bought and tested NSO software for
years with plans to use it for domestic surveillance until the
agency finally decided last year not to deploy the tools.”

On top of that, the new system, dubbed Phantom, is believed to
have been equipped with capabilities to target phone numbers
located in the U.S., going against the company’s previous claims^[9] that its spyware cannot
be used on phone numbers with a +1 country code.

Earlier this week, the FBI confirmed^[10] to The Washington Post
that it had indeed procured a license to use the tool and test its
capabilities on phones using foreign SIM cards. However, the agency
added that it used the product “for product testing and evaluation
only,” and that it never used it operationally or to support any
investigation.

NSO Group, which was also blocklisted by the U.S.
government^[11] in November 2021, has
been besieged by numerous setbacks in recent months, what with its
spyware linked to numerous instances of political surveillance
targeting diplomats and government officials in Finland^[12], Poland^[13], and the U.S^[14].

“The continuous revelations around the advanced spyware programs
over the last year show the world just how much development is
behind sophisticated mobile attacks,” said Richard Melick, director
of product strategy at Zimperium. “These attacks are not just one
vulnerability and exploit; they encompass fully developed toolsets
designed to deliver the most effective spyware for its customers
coming from known and unknown organizations.”

“While lacking advanced threat detection solutions, the mobile
phone’s continuous connections with personal and critical data
systems make it a lucrative target for any malicious organization
and its customers,” Melick added.