Top stories.
- A possible US-developed exploit framework surfaces in global iOS attacks.
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- Maximum-severity FreeScout flaw enables full server compromise.
- Business news: Tasmanian security firm UpGuard secures $75 million in Series C funding.
A possible US-developed exploit framework surfaces in global iOS attacks.
Researchers have identified an iOS exploit framework that compromised at least 42,000 devices, CyberScoop reports. Notably, the framework appears to have been developed by the US government before being leaked into the wild and repurposed by criminals and foreign nation-states. Researchers at iVerify and the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) have published separate reports on the toolkit, with iVerify calling the campaign the "first observed mass exploitation of mobile phones, including iOS, by a criminal group using tools likely built by a nation-state."
GTIG explains, "The exploit kit, named 'Coruna' by its developers, contained five full iOS exploit chains and a total of 23 exploits. The core technical value of this exploit kit lies in its comprehensive collection of iOS exploits, with the most advanced ones using non-public exploitation techniques and mitigation bypasses."
The researchers have observed the exploit kit being used by China-based cybercriminals and by a Russian espionage actor targeting Ukrainians.