Russia is considering banning the use of iPhones by government employees following suspicions of a U.S. intelligence campaign exploiting device vulnerabilities to spy on Russian staff.
The ban, set to take effect on Monday, will initially impact employees at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with other government departments to follow suit. This move comes after the discovery of thousands of iPhones infected with spyware, prompting accusations of collaboration between Apple and the U.S. National Security Agency.
Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky attributed the attacks to an out-of-bounds vulnerability that was patched in iMessage. The campaign, dubbed Operation Triangulation, involved hackers exploiting the flaw to deploy zero-click malware via iMessage attachments, enabling the automatic execution of malicious code.
The malware exfiltrated sensitive data, including microphone recordings, photos from messaging apps, and geolocation information. The Russian National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents identified 15 malware command-and-control domains tied to the campaign, describing it as a reconnaissance operation by American intelligence agencies.
These measures by the Russian government are part of its ongoing efforts to isolate itself from the global internet, driven by economic sanctions and concerns over national security. In a recent test of its domestic internet infrastructure, Russia’s federal communication office turned off the “international internet,” leading to scattered service outages across the country.
Digital rights groups have raised concerns about this attempt to block access to information, highlighting the impact on sources like YouTube and Telegram. While experts believe a complete ban on foreign messenger apps and technology in Russia is unlikely, they suggest that the restrictions may lead to the rise of domestically-developed apps gaining popularity in the long run.
