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Apple sends new threat notification to some users in India and 91 other countries that their iPhones may have been attacked by “mercenary spyware” including Israeli NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus malware I was warned that there would be.
Apple does not attribute the recent wave of attacks to any stakeholder. In October last year, a similar notice was sent to opposition leaders from various parties, from Congress’ Shashi Tharoor to AAP’s Raghav Chadha to TMC’s Mahua Moitra, warning of a “state-sponsored spyware attack” on iPhones. It warned of the possibility of
Under pressure from the government, the company later clarified that the “threat notifications were not attributed to any specific state-sponsored actor.”
A threat notification email was sent to affected users in India on April 11 at approximately 12:30 AM IST. It’s unclear how many people received threat notifications from Apple. The email also mentions NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, saying such tools are being used to continually target people around the world.
“Warning: Apple has detected a targeted spyware attack on your iPhone,” reads the subject line of the threat notification, a copy of which was seen by The Indian Express.
“Apple has detected that you are the target of a mercenary spyware attack that attempts to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-. They may be specifically targeting you because of what you do, or what you do. While it’s never impossible to reliably detect such an attack, Apple takes this warning with great confidence. Please take this seriously,” the notification email added.
“Mercenary spyware attacks like the one used by NSO Group’s Pegasus are extremely rare and far more sophisticated than regular cybercrime operations or consumer malware. These attacks can cost millions of dollars. , and is deployed individually to a very small number of people, but the target is continuous and global,” Apple said in the threat notification.
The company advised users to be wary of all links they receive and to avoid opening links or attachments from unexpected or unknown senders.
However, the company cannot provide detailed information about what caused the threat notification to be sent, as it could help mercenary spyware attackers “adapt their behavior to avoid detection in the future.” said.
Apple also updated its support page with tips for users who may have been targeted by a mercenary spyware attack. “Apple’s Threat Notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been personally targeted by a spyware attack, perhaps because of who they are or what they do,” the iPhone maker said. said.
Apple began sending these threat notifications in 2021, and individuals in 150 countries have received them since then. When we sent out the notification last year, at least 20 Indians with iPhones received the notification.
Investigations into similar issues in the past have not yielded much success. In 2021, the Supreme Court set up a committee of technical experts to investigate allegations of fraudulent surveillance using Pegasus software developed by Israeli company NSO Group.
The Pegasus controversy erupted following media reports that software was allegedly used illegally to tap the phones of some activists, journalists and politicians. Subsequently, several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court asking the Supreme Court to investigate the charges.
In August 2022, a committee of technical experts found no conclusive evidence of the use of spyware on the mobile phones it investigated, but noted that the central government was “not cooperating” with the committee.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Date first uploaded: April 11, 2024, 10:26 IST
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