2023-07-18 10:55:46
Posted Jul 18, 2023, 9:00 a.m. Updated Jul 18, 2023, 12:55 p.m.
When the United States and Europe ban the Chinese Huawei, the Russians rebel once morest the American Apple. Authorities in the country have banned thousands of state officials and employees from using iPhones and other branded products, reports the Financial Times, which quotes a source close to the Russian government.
The instruction began to apply from last Monday within the Ministry of Commerce. The Department of Digital Development said it would follow suit. “It’s over for the iPhone: throw it away or give it to your children”, can we also read in the Russian newspaper “Kommersant”, which reports the remarks of one of the participants in a governmental meeting.
Prohibited in the workplace
The information has been confirmed by freelance journalist Farida Rustamova on Telegram. “According to our interlocutors, it is now forbidden to enter a government meeting room with Apple devices. This applies to deputy prime ministers, ministers and other participants in government meetings,” she wrote.
“Furthermore, White House staff [bâtiment du gouvernement russe, NDLR] received an instruction from the head of government personnel that it was no longer possible to use iPhones in the workplace (and in general at work),” she adds.
A trapped “iMessage”
Amid extreme tensions between Moscow and Washington, this Kremlin crusade once morest Apple began in early June with a report from Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. Its researchers have discovered “previously unknown malware that attacks iOS devices”, according to a statement from the company.
The main process was as follows: “Malware infiltrates victims’ devices […] via a hidden iMessage, then it triggers and takes full control of the device and user data. »
In the followingmath, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, claimed that several thousand Russian iPhones had been infected by this process, indicating Apple’s “close cooperation” with US intelligence agencies – a claim that the Cupertino firm categorically denies.
Apple announces fixes
The FSB has not provided evidence for these charges and independent security experts have found no evidence that Apple has built a “backdoor” into its devices. However, this does not mean that there were no real security flaws. Following the Russian claims, Apple announced patches for its iOS software, crediting Kaspersky Lab researchers with identifying vulnerabilities.
These bans will have no impact for Apple, which withdrew from the Russian market less than a week following Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine. Very popular, the company’s products continue to be imported from other countries.
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