Experts reveal how hackers broke into the iPhone system

During the period between 2019 and 2022, a significant security flaw was identified in the iOS Messages application, compromising the security of the iPhoneknown for its robustness.

This breach was the target of the notorious ‘Operation Triangulation’, a hacker attack that aroused great interest and concern among digital security experts.

The episode marks a turning point in the world of cybersecurity and challenges the untouchable reputation of Apple devices.

The strangeness of this attack reveals very intricate methods, which demonstrate an unprecedented sophistication in the quest to access sensitive user data.

Experts detail how the iOS system was invaded

Attack on the iOS system surprised cybersecurity experts – Image: Canaltech/Reproduction

Kaspersky experts Boris Larin, Leonid Bezvershenko and Georgy Kucherin provide detailed information on the technical aspects of this attack hacker.

Thus, they provide a more in-depth perspective on how the exploit worked and the dangers posed to iPhone users.

In this episode, the attacker exploited a loophole in the Messages application by using a malicious attachment, typically a PDF file. What made this hack particularly worrying was that the PDF file ran without presenting any noticeable signs of danger to the user.

The PDF document contained remote code that cleverly bypassed the aforementioned vulnerability and opened the door to run an invisible and stealthy process in Safari.

Operation Triangulation Process – Image: iPadize/Reproduction

The code executed was a jumbled Javascript script, consisting of about 11 thousand lines. The exploit was designed in order to scale, taking control of critical areas of the system.

Once the script was able to bypass Safari’s security layers, it would lead the victim to a specific web page.

At this point, a second exploit was performed, with the aim of gaining elevated privileges and ultimately loading spyware onto the compromised device.

Apple’s operating systems are recognized for their high security, however, occasionally, hackers discover vulnerabilities that enable sophisticated attacks.

Apple promptly corrected this flaw with the release of iOS 16.2. Therefore, if the device is updated to this version or later, there is no cause for concern regarding the mentioned vulnerability.