X World 2026
25-26 AUGUST • NAARM | MELBOURNE
Julien vander Straeten
Detecting Nation-State Malware on iOS
Commercial spyware like Pegasus can compromise iOS without any user interaction (zero-click attacks) that bypass traditional security. With thousands of confirmed infections and 50,000 suspected targets since 2016, this threat extends beyond journalists and activists to strategic sectors: energy, transport, telecommunications, and defence. Learn how nation-state spyware works on iOS, see real evidence of infections, and discover how forensic-grade detection tools can protect executive teams and board members in high-value organisations. Coruna and DarkSword are two recent spyware toolkits that were discovered. Depending on the lengths of the presentation, I can prepare a lab that will demonstrate how a real iPhone can get compromised by such a toolkit, and how commercially available tools will detect these.
About the presenter
Julien started in Apple automation and security. His role evolved towards mobile forensics for the last couple of years. While being a niche market, it applies to many industry leaders. These leaders often misunderstand what nation state malware is and why tools from regular security vendors can't detect these. His mission in 2026 is to build awareness amongst these industry leaders to help them understand what nation state malware is and whether it applies to their users or not.
Interview
We asked Victor a few questions about where Apple's heading and what he's working on.
What are you most excited about in Apple's upcoming OS releases?
Updates to Apple’s Platform Security
Is there new hardware you're hoping Apple ships?
An Apple Watch Ultra that lasts for a week
The rise of AI: excited, scared, intrigued, or something else?
Apple can be slow, but usually spot on. I hope they will bring the privacy we expect from AI.
What's the best thing you've built that nobody's heard of?
A full 20m by 30m pump track in my garden (it actually caught fire in July and we had to call the firefighters)
What do you wish you'd known when you started building admin tools for Apple platforms?
Probably the fact I have ADHD and that I can’t focus very long on something 🧐
Finish this sentence: "You should come to my talk if…”
... you think your iPhone is so safe, it can’t be compromised at night without having you click a single link or button.
