GCHQ Tracked iPhones in Real Time, Leaked Snowden Docs Reveal

GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), a British Intelligence and security organization has been tracking targeted iPhones in real time, newly released documents by Edward Snowden reveal.

GCHQ provides information to the British government and armed forces.

According to the leaked documents, GCHQ used to track iPhones not directly but focused on the computers those were synchronized with the device. This allowed GCHQ to access considerable amounts of data stored on the handset. GCHQ agents exploited the flaws in the Apple's UDID (unique device identifier) which issued a unique code for each iPhone, linking it to the owner.

The report dates back to 2010 when UDIDs were in use, however Apple has rolled back the use of UDIDs. Apple has already recognized the potential dangers of UDID and moved towards more privacy-friendly methods, The Verge noted.

The leak added that the intelligence agency was not only able to spy on phones when connected to computers but also when it was used to surf the web - courtesy of a Safari browser exploit.

A copy of the leaked document has been handed over by Edward Snowden to a group of nine journalists in total, including a film maker.

The documents were published by Der Spiegel.