Price of Apple iOS exploits falls below that of Android exploits for first time ever: Report

Apple's iOS operating system has for long maintained a reputation for being far more secure than rival Android. Now, however, things appear to be changing.According to a report by ArsTechnica, exploit broker Zerodium is paying a higher price for zero-day "full chain" Android exploits than for iOS ones. At $2.5 mn for an Android exploit and $2 mn for iOS, these still aren't cheap, but it's the first time Android exploit prices have overtaken iOS exploit prices.Zero-day exploits target undisclosed vulnerabilities in an operating system or piece of software. They allow hackers, law enforcement and other agencies, even state-sponsored ones, access to a device at some level.[caption id="attachment_7281711" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Apple's iOS operating system has always had a reputation for being more secure than Android.[/caption]According to the Ars report, there's recently been a surge in the number of zero-day iOS vulnerabilities being reported and this has resulted in a drop in price.These exploits appear to be targeting iOS' Safari and iMessage, both staple features of the iOS operating system.Zero-click exploits are particularly valuable because they allow hackers to attack a phone with, essentially, zero manual intervention.Google Project Zero researchers only recently unveiled a large-scale and indiscriminate hacking attack targeting iPhones via malicious websites. The attack was likely came from China and targeted the Uighur Muslim community.Apple has already patched these vulnerabilities in the latest version of iOS.