Apple says iPhone users in India and 91 other countries were likely victims of a spyware

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, April 11, 2024: Apple recently sent out warnings to iPhone users in India and 91 other countries. The company informed users saying that their iPhones might be under attack by a type of spyware called "mercenary spyware," including one called Pegasus made by a company called NSO Group in Israel. Last October, they sent similar warnings to politicians from different parties in India, suggesting a possible state-sponsored spyware attack on their iPhones. However, Apple later said they couldn’t pinpoint any specific attacker.

According to an Indian Express report.These warnings came without blaming anyone for the attacks. The warning emails were sent out around 12:30 am IST on a Thursday. It’s not clear how many people got them. The emails mentioned Pegasus spyware and said that similar tools are being used globally to target people.

The subject line of the email read "ALERT: Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone." Apple explained in the email that these attacks are rare and very sophisticated, costing lots of money and targeting only a few people. They advised users to be careful with links and attachments from unknown senders.

“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. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously,” the email read.

“Mercenary spyware attacks, such as those using Pegasus from the NSO Group, are exceptionally rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware. These attacks cost millions of dollars and are individually deployed against a very small number of people, but the targeting is ongoing and global,” Apple said in its threat notification.

Apple couldn’t give more details about why they sent the warnings because it might help the attackers avoid detection. They updated their support page to help users who might be targeted.

Apple started sending these warnings in 2021, and people from 150 countries have received them. Last year, at least 20 Indians with iPhones got these warnings too.

Previous investigations into similar issues haven’t had much success. In 2021, the Supreme Court in India formed a committee to look into allegations of illegal surveillance using Pegasus. However, they didn’t find clear evidence, partly because the government didn’t cooperate.Overall, Apple wants its users to be aware of the risks of such attacks and stay safe online.

Courtesy: INDIA TODAY