Apple released a new version of the iPhone and iPad operating systems on Monday to address a vulnerability that hackers were exploiting in the wild, allowing them to hack Apple devices.
Apple stated on the security update page that it “is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.” This is the language Apple employs when someone informs the company that they have observed hackers exploiting a bug against real-world targets, as opposed to a vulnerability discovered by a researcher in a controlled environment. In this case, Apple attributed the discovery to an anonymous researcher and thanked Citizen Lab “for their assistance.” Citizen Lab is a digital rights research organisation based at the University of Toronto’s Munk School that is well-known for exposing the misuse of government hacking tools such as those manufactured by NSO Group.