New Delhi: Apple and Google have recently released several software updates to protect against a hacking campaign targeting an unknown number of their users. Google has also released patches for a handful of security bugs in its Chrome browser, noting that one of the bugs was being actively exploited by hackers before the company had time to patch it. Unusually for Google, the company provided no further details at the time. Google updated the page to state that the bug was discovered by Apple’s security engineering team and Google’s Threat Analysis Group, whose security researchers primarily track government hackers and mercenary spyware makers, indicating that the hacking campaign may have been orchestrated by the government-backed hackers.
At the same time, Apple has also released security updates for its flagship products, including the iPhones, iPads, Macs, Vision Pro, Apple TV, Apple Watches, and its Safari browser. According to the security advisory for the iPhones and iPads, Apple patched two bugs, and the company stated it was aware that this issue may have been exploited in a highly sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals running devices prior to iOS 26.
That the language is Apple’s typical way of stating that it knows some of its customers, and the users were targeted by hackers exploiting zero-days, means flaws that at the time of exploitation are unknown to the software makers. Often, these are cases where the government hackers used hacking tools and spyware.
