Apple sent threat alerts to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks.
The company sent the notifications to people in 92 countries at 12 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday. It did not reveal the identity of the hackers or the countries where users received alerts.
“Apple has detected that you are targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is attempting to compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-,” it wrote in the warning to affected customers.
“This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. While it is never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has great confidence in this warning — please take it seriously,” Apple added in the text, a copy of which was reviewed by TechCrunch.
The iPhone maker sends out these kinds of alerts several times a year and has notified users of such threats in more than 150 countries since 2021, per an informed Apple support page.
He also sent the same warning to several journalists and politicians in India last October. Later, the non-profit advocacy group Amnesty International reported finding Israeli spyware maker Pegasus’ invasive spyware on the iPhones of prominent journalists in India. (Users in India are among those who have received Apple’s latest threat alerts, according to people familiar with the matter.)
The spyware alerts come at a time when many nations are preparing for elections. In recent months, several technology companies have warned about growing state-sponsored efforts to influence certain election results. Apple’s notifications, however, did not note the timing.
“We are unable to provide more information about what prompted us to send you this notification, as this may help mercenary spyware attackers adjust their behavior to avoid detection in the future,” the company told those affected customers.
The previously described the attackers as “state-sponsored” but has replaced all such references with “spyware mercenary attacks”.
The warning to customers adds: “Mercenary spyware attacks, such as those using Pegasus from the NSO Group, are extremely rare and far more sophisticated than normal cybercriminal activity or consumer malware.”
Apple said it relies solely on “internal threat-intelligence and investigations to detect such attacks.” “While our investigations can never achieve absolute certainty, Apple’s threat alerts are high-confidence alerts that a user has been individually targeted by a mercenary spyware attack and should be taken very seriously,” he added.
