An attack on iPhone, which was revealed by Google last week, appears to be more widespread than initially thought. The malicious campaign has also affected Android and Microsoft Windows.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Google and Microsoft were targeted through the same websites that launched the attacks on iPhones.
The fact that Android and Windows devices were also targeted is a sign that this is a broad, two-year effort that has infected many more devices than previously thought. One source suggested that the attacks have been updated over time to affect different operating systems. Android and Windows are still the most widely used operating systems in the world. Both remain extremely attractive targets for hackers ,whether government or criminal.
It is still unclear whether Google was aware that the sites were also targeting other operating systems.
“ Google Project Zero was very specific in its blog post that the recently disclosed attacks exploited unique vulnerabilities in iPhones and did not disclose any other information,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “Microsoft is committed to investigating the reported security issues, and if new information is revealed, we will take appropriate action, as necessary, to protect our customers.”
Apple has not yet made any statement regarding the attacks, nor has it commented on the latest developments .
Google told Apple which sites had been targeted in February, and researchers revealed the attacks on August 29. But no one has yet clarified which specific sites were used to spread malicious code to iPhones.
It is unclear whether the same websites that were responsible for the attacks on iOS devices are the same ones that targeted Android and Windows devices. In the case of iOS devices, the malware allowed for the spying of a huge amount of data, including encrypted WhatsApp, iMessage and Telegram messages, as well as location.
