14 DAY TRIAL // Following the recent publishing of documents allegedly originating from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI), Apple has issued an official statement claiming that many of the exploits mentioned have already been addressed.
As per documents released by WikiLeaks yesterday, CIA employs various cyber intrusion techniques under the name of “Vault 7.” No less than 14 iOS exploits are mentioned in these documents, which could be used to surveil or even remotely command and control an iPhone.
Apparently, CCI bought many zero-day exploits from the open market, but also gathered other assets through other agencies, which allowed CIA to develop certain spy tools to continue surveillance of iOS devices.
Apple has responded today and said that most of the exploits mentioned in the leaked documents have been patched in the latest public version of iOS, which was released back in January.
Some security vulnerabilities have yet to be patched
“Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding our customers' privacy and security. The technology built into today's iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers, and we're constantly working to keep it that way.
Our products and software are designed to quickly get security updates into the hands of our customers, with nearly 80 percent of users running the latest version of our operating system.
While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities. We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates.”
Since not all exploits have been addressed, Apple says it will continue to work on patching the remaining ones. Obviously, the Cupertino-based company did not reveal which exploits have yet to be patched and which ones have already been addressed.
Besides the iOS-specific exploits, WikiLeaks published documents suggesting CIA is using special code to infiltrate Android devices and Samsung smart TVs.