Apple Warned Users: “You May Be Under Threat!”

Last Wednesday, Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 different countries. In this notification, it warned users that they may have been the target of paid spyware attacks. The notification did not specify the identities of the attackers or the countries from which users received notifications.

This Isn’t the First Threat Report Apple Has Sent

The warning notice Apple sent to users said:

”Apple has detected that you are the target of a paid spyware attack that attempts to remotely hijack your iPhone associated with Apple ID -xxx-. We think the reason for this attack is specific. While it is absolutely impossible to detect such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this alert. Please take it seriously.”

According to the Apple support page, the company sends such notifications several times a year and has been alerting users in more than 150 countries to such threats since 2021.

In October last year, Apple sent the same warning to many journalists and politicians in India. Later, advocacy group Amnesty International reported that it had found Israeli spyware maker NSO Group’s surveillance spyware Pegasus on the iPhones of prominent journalists in India.

How to Schedule Threat Notifications?

Generally, spyware warnings come during periods when countries are preparing for elections. In recent months, many tech firms have highlighted increasing state-sponsored efforts to influence certain election outcomes. However, Apple’s warnings did not provide any explanation for their timing.

Apple told users affected by the incident:

”We are unable to provide any further information about the incident that led to us sending you this notification. Because this could help paid spyware attackers adapt their behavior to evade future detection.”

Apple had previously described the attackers as “state-sponsored” but changed all those references to “paid spyware attacks.”

The warning sent to users includes the following additional information: “Paid spyware attacks such as NSO Group’s Pegasus are rarer and more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer software.”