Apple issued an emergency patch to the iOS operating system to fix a problem that allows hackers to access the user’s phone or computer without requiring the user to download a covert piece of software, the Associated Press reports.
Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found the vulnerability, which they say allowed hacker-for-hire Israeli firm NSO Group to access the phone of a Saudi activist and is suspected of hacking phones of Arab journalists. They notified Apple September 7th.
The hack is known as a “zero click” exploit, and this is the first time such a tool was discovered and analyzed. “We’re not necessarily attributing this attack to the Saudi government,” said researcher Bill Marczak.