Security experts recently discovered a new, sophisticated iPhone spyware that is no less lethal than NSO Group's surveillance tools. The Citizen Lab research team on Thursday unveiled a spyware called Predator, manufactured and sold by little-known hiring monitoring company Cytrox.
The team found the spyware on the smartphones of two Egyptians, an exiled politician and a news program host. Politician Ayman Nour's iPhone was hacked by both Predator and NSO Group's PegASUS, apparently operated by different government customers.
Both victims were attacked by Predator spyware in June 2021. Citizen Lab said the spyware entered the target iPhone via a single link sent by WhatsApp. They were able to infect iPhone models running iOS 14.6, which was the latest version of the software at the time.
Nour initially noticed that the iPhone on hand was running a little hot, and he suspected that his device had been hacked. Citizen Lab then analyzed the device and looked at the logs on his phone. Security researchers believe the attacks originated from the Egyptian government.
Cytrox is part of the Intellexa Alliance, a network of hired spyware vendors that emerged in 2019. Although originally based in Cyprus, recent reports show that Intellexa now operates in Greece. After a controversy surrounding a surveillance product made by Israeli company NSO Group, spyware targeting iPhone devices is becoming the focus of public attention.