By Tim Hardwick
On Wednesday, Apple sent out threat notices to users in 92 countries, warning that they could be targeted by mercenary spies, likely because of who they are and what they do.
According to TechCrunch, Apple sent out alerts to individuals at 12 p.m. Pacific Time, delivered via email and iMessage using the contact information associated with the user's Apple ID. A notification also appears at the top of the page if the user is signed in to an appleid.apple.com account.
“Apple has detected that you are the victim of a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-,” the company wrote in a warning to affected customers. “We cannot provide additional information about what caused us to send you this notification as it may help tailor mercenary spy actors. behavior to avoid future detection.”
“This attack is likely targeting you because of who you are and what you do, although it is never possible to be absolutely certain that such attacks are detected. “Apple has full confidence in this warning—please take it seriously,” the warning added.
In an updated support document, Apple said it has sent similar threat notifications to users in more than 150 countries since 2021. “The extreme cost, complexity and global nature of mercenary spyware attacks make them among the most advanced digital threats existing today,” the company said. “As a result, Apple is not attributing the attacks or related threat notifications to any specific attackers or geographic regions.”
Last October, Apple sent similar warnings to some journalists and politicians in India. Shortly after, non-profit human rights group Amnesty International said it had found Israeli cyberweapons company NSO Group's invasive Pegasus spyware on the iPhones of prominent journalists in India. Users in India are among those who have received the latest threat notifications, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke to TechCrunch.
The warnings come as many countries prepare for democratic elections. Apple previously described the attackers as “state-sponsored” in a support document, but replaced those references with “hired spy attacks.” The warning to customers reads: “Mercenary spyware attacks, such as those using NSO Group's Pegasus, are exceptionally rare and far more sophisticated than typical cybercriminal activity or consumer malware.”
Apple advises those who receive a threat notification to seek expert help, such as the emergency security help provided by the nonprofit Access Now's Digital Security Helpline. Recipients of Apple threat notifications can contact Apple's digital security support team 24 hours a day, seven days a week through its website.
Users who have not received a threat notification from Apple, but have good reason to believe that they may be individually targeted by mercenary spy attacks, are advised to enable Lock Mode on their devices for additional protection.
Tag: Apple Security[ 69 comments ]
