TROUBLING

iPhones of Nine State Department Staffers Hacked Using Israeli Firm’s Spyware

The attacks took place over several months this year and focused on officials involved in some way with Uganda.

The iPhones of nine State Department employees were hacked by an unknown entity using spyware developed by the Israeli-based NSO Group, Reuters reported Friday. The attacks occurred in recent months and focused on diplomats with ties to Uganda, the report said, though the identity of those who initiated the attacks is unknown. NSO said it was not aware of its product being used for the breaches, but it plans to take action once it does find out who is behind them. “If our investigation shall show these actions indeed happened with NSO's tools, such customer will be terminated permanently and legal actions will take place,” an NSO spokesperson told Reuters. The company said it would also “cooperate with any relevant government authority and present the full information we will have.” The revelation comes just over a week after Apple sued NSO over its spying on its customers, the third major tech company to battle it after Facebook and WhatsApp in 2019.