Apple has issued new threat alerts to some of its users in India and 91 other countries, cautioning them about the possibility of their iPhones being targeted by "mercenary spyware," such as the contentious Pegasus malware developed by the Israeli NSO Group. The company has refrained from assigning blame for the recent surge in attacks. In a parallel instance last October, Apple had issued similar notifications to Opposition leaders from various parties in India, including Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, Raghav Chadha of the AAP, and Mahua Moitra of the TMC, warning them of potential state-sponsored spyware threats to their iPhones.
Following pressure from the government, the company later clarified that it "does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker." According to a report of Indian Express, the threat notification emails were sent at around 12.30 am IST on Thursday (April 11) to impacted users in India. It is unclear how many people have received the threat notification from Apple. The email also mentions the NSO-Group’s Pegasus spyware, saying tools like those are being used to target people on an ongoing basis globally.
The notification email from Apple stated, "Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is attempting to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-. This attack is likely aimed at you specifically due to your identity or activities. While achieving absolute certainty in detecting such attacks is never possible, Apple has a high level of confidence in this warning — please treat it seriously."
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 has also revised its support page to provide guidance for users who may have been potential targets of the mercenary spyware attack. 'Apple threat notifications are intended to notify and support users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, likely due to their identity or activities,' stated the iPhone manufacturer.
These threat notifications from Apple commenced in 2021, reaching individuals in 150 countries since their inception. Last year, when the notifications were initially sent out, at least 20 Indians with iPhones were among the recipients.