Can the NSA Turn iPhone’s Mic & Camera On?

This really should not surprise anyone. Any security professional would tell you that just because you are using an Apple or Google product, that does not mean it is safe from the NSA and elite hackers. Documents shared by security researcher Jacob Appelbaum and German magazine Der Spiegel show that the NSA can indeed intercept SMS messages, locate phone calls, get contact lists, and even turn an iPhone’s camera and microphone on.

In order to pull this off, the NSA relies on a tool codenamed DROPOUTJEEP. Things are easy when hackers have access to physical devices. But you can be sure that a remote version can be made. Let’s not forget that the NSA recruits some of the best hackers around as a part of its elite team for cyber-security operations. Appelbaum’s take on Apple’s role in this is perhaps more disturbing:

Either [the NSA] have a huge collection of exploits that work against Apple products, meaning they are hoarding information about critical systems that American companies produce, and sabotaging them, or Apple sabotaged it themselves… Do you think Apple helped them with that? I hope Apple will clarify that.

We will surely hear from Apple and other tech companies on this topic. Just know that holding a fancy phone does not make you immune against hack attacks.