Khaberni - In a troubling development for the cybersecurity world, tech experts revealed the leakage of an advanced hacking tool believed to have originally been used in US intelligence operations, before finding its way into the hands of internet hackers, turning from a secret government weapon into a digital threat affecting millions of iPhone users worldwide.
According to warnings issued by information security researchers, the tool known as «Coruna» is considered one of the most complex hacking tools, as it relies on an interconnected system of security vulnerabilities that work together to penetrate the phone system without the user noticing any suspicious activity.
According to technical analysis, the attack primarily targets the «Safari» browser, where the hack can begin simply when a user clicks on a malicious link. As soon as the page opens, the malicious code silently begins scanning the device to verify the operating system version.
If the phone is running older versions of the iOS system, the hack can be carried out within seconds, without any further interaction needed from the user.
Technical investigations indicate that this tool was not originally designed for criminal use but was part of advanced tools used in highly sensitive government spying operations.
However, in early 2025, cybersecurity experts detected its leak on the Internet, after which it began to spread rapidly among international hacking groups.
Since then, there have been indications of its use in widespread digital spying operations, including exploiting compromised websites to target visitors on a large scale, marking a dangerous shift from targeted attacks to random attacks that could affect any user.
What can a hacker do with your phone?
If the hack is successful, attackers gain deep privileges within the phone system, enabling them to access sensitive data such as:
Messages and personal photos and notes
Financial account information
Cryptocurrency wallet data
Direct geographical location of the device
They can also upload additional tools to the phone to enhance their control over it or use it later in other spying operations.
Despite the danger of this tool, experts affirm that its main weakness lies in its reliance on vulnerabilities that have been fixed in recent versions of the iOS system.
Therefore, specialists recommend taking simple but crucial preventive measures, most importantly:
Immediately update the operating system to the latest version available
Avoid opening unknown or suspicious links
Activate the advanced protection mode (Lockdown Mode) if there are security concerns
Security experts believe that the leakage of advanced spying tools from intelligence environments to the Internet could pose one of the most serious digital challenges in the coming years, as these originally purpose-designed tools could easily become random digital weapons threatening users around the world.
