Several countries throughout the world, including India, have been affected by the Pegasus spyware scandal. Many people have been targeted, including government officials, top politicians, journalists, and activists, and their phones have been hacked. Apple’s iMessage has also been targeted, prompting a statement from the company.
In an interview with The Guardian, WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart chastised Apple for this statement. “This should be a wake up call for security on the internet … mobile phones are either safe for everyone or they are not safe for everyone.”
Cathcart complimented Microsoft and other tech companies for speaking out about the threat of malware and added that he wants Apple to go further. Cathcart told ‘The Guardian’ “I hope that Apple will start taking that approach too,”
He added “Be loud, join in. It’s not enough to say, most of our users don’t need to worry about this. It’s not enough to say ‘oh this is only thousands or tens of thousands of victims’,”
Ivan Krsti, Head of Apple Security Engineering, said that the threat exists, but the vast majority of Apple users are secure.
“Apple unequivocally condemns cyberattacks against journalists, human rights activists, and others seeking to make the world a better place. For over a decade, Apple has led the industry in security innovation and, as a result, security researchers agree iPhone is the safest, most secure consumer mobile device on the market. Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals. While that means they are not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users, we continue to work tirelessly to defend all our customers, and we are constantly adding new protections for their devices and data.” said Krsti in a statement.
Cathcart also told The Guardian, “If this is affecting journalists all around the world, this is affecting human rights defenders all around the world, that affects us all. And if anyone’s phone is not secured that means everyone’s phone is not secure.”