^ For those who don't think this is a BFD:
- Someone sends you an iMessage with the payload, often in an image.
- Payload installs itself after it hits your device, with *no interaction* from you.
- Everything your device does/sees/hears is now remotely accessible, and you cannot tell it's happening.
This software is nominally for intel agencies targeting individuals, but has been licensed to oppressive governments who want to spy on their citizens.
@mcfate @voltronic will that help? It says it just puts unknown senders into a different list.
@MookyTroubadour
If that's the case, then that wouldn't help. You would need to block messages from unknown senders ever being received by your device.
Of course, if someone smart was using this, they would spoof the sender so it appears to be someone in your contacts.
@voltronic Android phone is safe?
I have an Apple notebook and iPad that I need to look into now.
@BlueStateBabe
No reports about in-the-wild use against Android for now, but Peagusus has definitely been used against Android devices in the past.
@voltronic I googled and the Pegasus references that came up were from several years ago, so I appreciate your info.
Have already updated the Mac.
IPad will be next.
@voltronic My iPad has no updates to offer. Yet.
Nor does mine and it has its own cell line.
Hmmm...mine has 15 something I believe, and it said no updates. But it is about 6 years old, so maybe an age thing?
My iPad has its own cell line. That might be the difference.
@LnzyHou
That would not matter.
@voltronic
Seems like a pretty BFD
@voltronic Thanks! I just sent a message to warn my staff. I mostly copied and pasted some of what you wrote. I hope you don't mind.
@voltronic @Bliss
Thank you Volt..
Didn't realize ipad and MacBook that do imessage needed it also...
@voltronic
This is a good reason to turn on sender filtering in Messages.