iOS exploits found in CIA hacking tools revealed by WikiLeaks have been fixed says Apple

Apple claims that vulnerabilities revealed in the alleged CIA hacking tools revealed by WikiLeaks have already been patched in the latest version of the iOS operating system which powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.

In a statement, an Apple spokesperson said: "Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding our customers' privacy and security. The technology built into today's iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers, and we're constantly working to keep it that way.

"Our products and software are designed to quickly get security updates into the hands of our customers, with nearly 80% of users running the latest version of our operating system."

"While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities. We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates."

On 7 March, WikiLeaks released Vault 7, which contained 8,761 documents detailing alleged hacking tools used by the CIA.

The leak, also dubbed "Year Zero", which WikiLeaks claims is the largest intelligence publication in history, contained documents from an "isolated high-security network" situated in the Centre for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.

Apple exploits revealed in the CIA hacking toolsets were reportedly designed by the Mobile Development Branch (MDB) of the CIA. The security flaws could be used by hackers to "control and exfiltrate data from iPhones and other Apple products running iOS", WikiLeaks claimed.

The leak suggested that 14 different exploits were found in several versions of iOS, from iOS 4 through to iOS 9.2. A couple of the exploits such as "Redux" and "Xiphos" were previously publicly discovered by the Chinese jailbreak team Pangu, according to the leaked files.