Apple warns iPhone users in 92 countries of ‘mercenary spyware' attack

Apple, on Thursday, April 11, issued a fresh round of threat alert to some of its iPhone users in 92 countries including India, warning them of a potential “mercenary spyware” attack. Though Did not disclose the identity of the attackers, it is indicated that it could be similar to the Israeli NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus malware.

“Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-. This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do,” read the notification email. It further said that Mercenary spyware attacks are rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or malware.

The notification, which was earlier received six months ago, has alarmed Indian users, especially with the Lok Sabha elections around the corner.

The company has sent similar threat alerts multiple times since 2021, and users from 150 countries have received them till date. According to The Indian Express, at least 20 Indians received the notification last year.

In October 2023, many opposition leaders across several parties were alerted about a “potential state-sponsored spyware attack” on their iPhones. This includes Congress’s Shashi Tharoor, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha, Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Moitra, senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Sriram Karri among others. Later, due to the government intervention, the company clarified that the notifications do not attribute to any particular “state-sponsored attacker.”

In 2021, the Supreme Court had formed a committee to investigate the alleged illegal surveillance using Pegasus software, after several petitions submitted by journalists, politicians and activists. Although the committee did not find any conclusive evidence on the use of spyware in the phones, it had noted that the Central Government had not cooperated with the panel.