Apple has issued an important security update for "iPhone" and "iPad" devices to fix recently discovered security vulnerabilities in the operating system.

Researchers at the "Citizen Lab" at the University of Toronto identified the issue, stating that the software flaw was "exploited aggressively" by users of the spyware "Pegasus," developed and sold by the Israeli company "NSO Group."

The "Pegasus" software is typically used to target dissidents, journalists, and political opponents, so ordinary users may have little to fear; nonetheless, "Citizen Lab" recommends that all users update their devices "immediately."

The "Financial Times" reported that "Apple" released an emergency update after being warned of a previously unknown security vulnerability that allowed the Israeli NSO Group to secretly inject its Pegasus spyware remotely onto iPhone and iPad devices.

It was reported that the weakness in the iOS code, referred to as a Zero-day, allowed NSO clients to hide the code within images sent via iMessage, which would enable the Pegasus spyware to gain control over the phone's operating features.

Users of the Pegasus program can covertly read encrypted messages stored on the phone, activate the camera and microphone remotely, and continuously track the phone's location, leading to the Israeli company being blacklisted by the United States.

The patch also addresses a security vulnerability affecting Apple Wallet, where individuals store payment cards.

The "Financial Times" clarified that this latest patch is among a series of patches released by Apple in recent years, continuing the cat-and-mouse game between leading American technology companies and spyware developers, many of whom are based in Israel, where they use unknown vulnerabilities in smartphones as weapons and then commercially market them so that their clients can monitor thousands of targets without detection.

Additionally, the newspaper indicated that the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto discovered this security vulnerability, stating that it was found on the phone of an employee residing in Washington.

The Citizen Lab noted that this current intrusion could have been blocked if individuals at risk of government surveillance had enabled Lockdown Mode on their iPhones, which severely restricts certain functions, including attachments in messages and incoming FaceTime calls from unknown numbers.

To install the update, users need to open the settings on their iPhone, then select "General" followed by "Software Update," and they should see the iOS system update version number 16.6.1.