In September 2023, an investigation was published indicating the infection of iPhone iOS (16.6) devices with Pegasus spyware. The report refers to the exploit chain as BLASTPASS. This, by far, is the latest known zero-click exploit. This type of exploit does not require any action from the user. The September 2023 incident was not the only one concerning Apple product users. In 2021, it was reported about another case of a zero-click malware spread. Earlier, in 2016, some Apple users were targeted by a tool called Karma, which also had a zero-click nature. In 2019, approximately 1400 users of WhatsApp Messenger were targeted by a zero-click exploit that infected their devices with Pegasus spyware.
Reported cases of zero-click exploits worldwide as of September 2023
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Reuters, & The Citizen Lab. (September 7, 2023). Reported cases of zero-click exploits worldwide as of September 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 03, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1412305/zero-click-exploits-global/
Reuters, und The Citizen Lab. "Reported cases of zero-click exploits worldwide as of September 2023." Chart. September 7, 2023. Statista. Accessed October 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1412305/zero-click-exploits-global/
Reuters, The Citizen Lab. (2023). Reported cases of zero-click exploits worldwide as of September 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1412305/zero-click-exploits-global/
Reuters, and The Citizen Lab. "Reported Cases of Zero-click Exploits Worldwide as of September 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Sep 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1412305/zero-click-exploits-global/
Reuters & The Citizen Lab, Reported cases of zero-click exploits worldwide as of September 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1412305/zero-click-exploits-global/ (last visited October 03, 2024)
Reported cases of zero-click exploits worldwide as of September 2023 [Graph], Reuters, & The Citizen Lab, September 7, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1412305/zero-click-exploits-global/