Roman GłogulskiA research team from a cybersecurity company claims to have discovered a method for detecting advanced spyware on smartphones, such as Pegasus, and has created a tool that allows users to check if their devices have spyware installed.
Kaspersky researchers have presented a new lightweight method for detecting spyware, including Pegasus, as well as new similar threats like Reign and Predator. They achieved this by analyzing the Shutdown.log file, which is part of forensic systems and was previously unexamined. The tool is publicly available on the GitHub platform and is accessible for macOS, Windows, and Linux systems.
By utilizing the analysis of the Shutdown.log file, Kaspersky researchers discovered unusual traces associated with Pegasus infection. It turns out that these traces can be visible in the system log after restarting the infected device. By analyzing these anomalies, researchers uncovered common infection paths that are characteristic of both Pegasus and other malicious iOS software, such as Reign and Predator. This discovery offers hope for effective identification of infected devices.
To protect against advanced spyware on iPhones, experts recommend several steps. Regularly restart your device as Pegasus often uses “zero-click” attacks that leave no trace. Block iOS malware by turning off iMessage and Facetime, which can be potential attack vectors. Also, remember to update your system to the latest version and exercise caution when clicking on suspicious links.
Alongside the tools developed by Kaspersky, processing encrypted backups and sysdiagnose archives using the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) can help detect spyware on iOS devices.
The discovery of this detection method and its implementation offer iPhone users a greater chance of protecting themselves against advanced spyware like Pegasus. Awareness of these threats is crucial for ensuring data security and privacy on smartphones.
