Apple warns users in 92 countries of mercenary attacks with new warning

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Apple on Wednesday sent a threat notification to iPhone users in 92 countries, warning them they may be the target of a spyware attack by mercenaries.

The company sent an alert to individuals in 92 countries at 12pm Pacific Time on Wednesday. The company did not reveal the identity of the attacker or the countries in which users received the notifications.

“Apple has detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that attempts to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-,” the company wrote in a warning to affected customers. ing.

“This attack may be specifically targeting you because of who you are or what you do. Although it is never possible to detect such attacks with certainty, , Apple has high confidence in this warning, so please take it seriously.”

The iPhone maker sends these notifications multiple times a year, and has notified users in more than 150 countries since 2021, it wrote on an updated support page. Apple also sent a warning to some Indian journalists and politicians in October last year. Later, non-profit advocacy group Amnesty International reported that it had discovered NSO Group’s invasive spyware Pegasus on the iPhone of a prominent Indian journalist. (Users in India were among those who received notifications of the new threat, according to people familiar with the matter.)

Apple’s warning comes amid a wave of global elections. Many companies are warning of an increase in state-sponsored efforts to sway the outcome of certain elections. Apple’s alert did not mention its timing. “We cannot provide any further information about what caused this notification to be sent,” the company said in a statement to affected customers. This is because it may be useful.”

Apple previously described the attacker as “state-sponsored,” but replaced all such references with “mercenary spyware attack.” “Mercenary spyware attacks like the one using NSO Group’s Pegasus are extremely rare and far more sophisticated than typical cybercriminal activity or consumer malware,” the customer warning said. I am.

Apple says it relies solely on “insider threat intelligence information and research to detect such attacks.” Additionally, “While our research does not allow us to achieve absolute certainty, Apple’s threat notifications are a reliable warning that a user is personally the target of a mercenary spyware attack. , it needs to be taken very seriously,” he adds.