The Russian Federal Security Service (successor to the KGB) accused the United States of spying on the mobile phones of Russian citizens. A statement from the intelligence service details how the National Security Agency (NSA) used hitherto unknown malware that gave access to iPhone backdoors. The attacks would have been possible thanks to an Apple collaboration with the US government.
The number of phones infected by this malware would amount to more than a thousand, according to what was reported by the FSB. The organization comments that these espionage activities would have been discovered after detecting specific anomalies in the users of iPhone devices. After analyzing the situation, they claim to have found “a previously unknown malicious program that exploited vulnerabilities provided by the producer.”
According to the FSB report, among those most affected by this security breach would be “domestic and foreign customers who used SIM cards belonging to Russian diplomatic representations and embassies.” Research indicates that Diplomats destined for in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. Also, some members of the NATO, China, Syria and Israel.
The hidden data collection was carried out through software vulnerabilities in US-made mobile phones.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
Of course, according to the FSB, these vulnerabilities found in iPhone phones are not a security flaw. In your report they go so far as to accuse the Cupertinos of designing these back doors. “In this way, the information obtained by the Russian intelligence services proves the close cooperation of the American company, Apple, with American intelligence, in particular with the US National Security Agency,” the organization says.
Russia’s Harsh Accusations Bring Back Cold War Winds
For the Federal Security Service of Russia, these espionage practices are common. “US intelligence services have used computer companies to collect large-scale data from internet users without their consent for decades,” the US Foreign Office said.
Nor is it the first time that Russia has taken it against Apple. At the beginning of the year, the kremlin warned officials involved in the 2024 presidential election not to use an iPhone. For the FSB and the rest of the country’s government agencies, devices developed in the United States could be a gateway to sensitive information in the region.
Obviously, the United States is no stranger to espionage. In fact, in 2013 it was Edward Snowden, a former computer intelligence consultant, who denounced the surveillance practices of the US government to other latitudes. However, the Slavic country is not free from guilt at all. On more than one occasion, his behind-the-scenes participation in various events in Western history has been shown. For this reason, it is advisable to take the results of these reports with a grain of salt.