TEW Magazine

  In a revelation that continues to baffle researchers, a sophisticated and extensive iPhone backdooring campaign that unfolded over four years targeted numerous devices, including those owned by employees of the Moscow-based security firm Kaspersky. One of the most notable findings from the investigation is that the unknown attackers exploited a vulnerability in an  undocumented hardware feature , known to only a select few outside of Apple and chip suppliers like ARM Holdings. Kaspersky researcher Boris Larin emphasized the exploit’s sophistication and the feature’s obscurity, indicating that the attackers possessed advanced technical capabilities. The researchers, despite an intense 12-month investigation, have yet to determine how the attackers became aware of this feature. Possibilities include accidental disclosure in past firmware or source code releases, stumbling upon it through hardware reverse engineering, or other undisclosed methods.  An inherent part of the ...