iPhones having spyware built-in?

Most people seem to think that iPhones are immune to malware, which is partially true but the same cannot be said for security issues. The immensely popular iPhone may be having hidden spyware which could be used to secretly collect information about its users, without them having a clue of what’s going on. This adds to the several controversies that the iPhone has been subject to recently.

Another whistle from the deep?

The following words were spoken by Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena during his interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti:

“Edward never uses an iPhone; he’s got a simple phone, the iPhone has special software that can activate itself without the owner having to press a button and gather information about him; that’s why on security grounds he refused to have this phone.”

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden seems to believe that the iPhone has some kind of spyware which can be activated automatically, without the user’s permission to collect sensitive data, which is why he refrains from using Apple’s bestselling device. He also recently published files he stole from the NSA which revealed that British agency GCHQ was indeed using Apple’s iPhone UDID system to track users.
The fact that Snowden uses a “simple” phone suggests that the security concern he is having may be common to all modern smartphones. Android phones would probably not be an alternative since they are prone to infection by all kinds of malware. As handy and useful as they are, smartphones are also a potential tool and weapon. This is yet another reminder for all users to secure their favorite devices.

There are also deeper questions on this topic. Will privacy even exist in the future? Are we moving towards a world that is so connected that it is impossible to keep your data truly yours? We don’t know, but we are committed to protecting each of our user’s privacy.

Is my iPhone safe?

As of now Apple’s involvement in this is uncertain. It could simply be that several agencies are using tools built into most smartphone devices to spy on the intended victims. Since the reports are unclear on the specifics as to what data can be retrieved, we don’t think it would be wise to push the panic button yet. However, this is another reason why security has become a huge concern in this era of technology.

Have a nice (spyware-free) day!