Everyone is trying to hack into your iPhone, from 4chan hackers looking for nude pictures to tech researchers testing phone charger security loopholes. In the near future, you can also worry about the CIA browsing your selfies and reading your sexy texts.
According to documents acquired by the Intercept, the CIA has spent years trying to find vulnerabilities in Apple’s security, hoping to decrypt the data of hundreds of millions of Apple users around the world. They could have already found their way in, though, using surveillance tools hidden in iPhone and iPad apps.
The security researchers also claimed they had created a modified version of Apple’s proprietary software development tool, Xcode, which could sneak surveillance backdoors into any apps or programs created using the tool. Xcode, which is distributed by Apple to hundreds of thousands of developers, is used to create apps that are sold through Apple’s App Store.
The modified version of Xcode, the researchers claimed, could enable spies to steal passwords and grab messages on infected devices. Researchers also claimed the modified Xcode could “force all iOS applications to send embedded data to a listening post.” It remains unclear how intelligence agencies would get developers to use the poisoned version of Xcode.
Maybe Ron Swanson was right. Now could be the best time to smash that smartphone, buy up gold, and get off the grid once and for all. If anyone needs me, I will be looking up log cabin blueprints and directions to the nearest wilderness. First stop, Food and Stuff.
Source: The Intercept