"A reconnaissance action by US intelligence agencies, conducted using Apple mobile devices, has been uncovered. In the course of ensuring the security of the Russian telecommunications infrastructure, anomalies were identified that are specific only to users of Apple mobile phones and are caused by the operation of previously unknown malicious software that uses software vulnerabilities provided by the manufacturer," the FSB said in a statement, adding that "several thousand phones were used."
In addition to domestic subscribers, "foreign numbers and subscribers using SIM cards registered with diplomatic missions and embassies in Russia" were affected, the statement read.
The information obtained by the FSB points to Apple's close cooperation with the US intelligence community and confirms that "the company's declared privacy policy is not true," the security service added.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on FSB’s Revelation of US Intel Hacking iPhones to Spy on Diplomats
Representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that:
- no state has the right to abuse its technological capabilities in such a sensitive area as access to personal data on smartphones; -
US intelligence agencies have been using IT corporations for decades to secretly collect data from unsuspecting Internet users on a large scale;
- The United States is a nation that puts itself above the law, and evidence of this country’s double standards has been repeatedly presented to the UN;
- Russia urges all interested parties to create transparent and fair regulatory mechanisms in the digital sphere that will be mandatory for all nations and developers