Cyber Arms Dealer Exploits New iPhone Software Vulnerability, Watchdog Says

A cyber surveillance company based in Israel developed a tool to break into Apple iPhones with a never-before-seen technique that has been in use since February, internet security watchdog group Citizen Lab said Monday. 

The discovery is important because of the critical nature of the vulnerability, which requires no user interaction and affects all versions of Apple's iOS, OSX, and watchOS, except for those updated Monday.  The vulnerability developed by the Israeli firm, named NSO Group, defeats security systems designed by Apple in recent years.  Apple said it fixed the vulnerability in Monday's software update, confirming Citizen Lab's finding. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment regarding whether the hacking technique came from NSO Group.