A few hours ago Apple sent an important notice to its users 92 countries to inform them of the possibility that they have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. For anyone who was wondering, what the Cupertino company is referring to is a type of software designed to infect the victim’s device for collect sensitive data for espionage purposes. Not surprisingly, the people involved would have been affected precisely because of their activities and/or identities.
iOS users victims of a mercenary spyware attack: Apple’s notification
Based on what was reported by TechCrunch, the Cupertino company sent the notice to affected iOS users through the contact information associated with their Apple ID. The alert is also shown when you log in to appleid.apple.com.
«Apple has detected that you have been targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is attempting to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. We cannot provide you with any further information on this matter, as this may help attackers adapt their ways of action to evade future detection», reads Apple’s notice. «Chances are you’ve been targeted because of who you are or what you do».
In the support document dedicated to this type of notifications, the Californian company claims to send notifications like the one shown above dal 2021 to users in over 150 countries. «The extreme cost, complexity, and international nature of mercenary spyware attacks make them among the most advanced digital threats in existence today. As a result, Apple does not attribute attacks or resulting threat notifications to specific attackers or geographic locations».
According to the sources of TechCrunchthe users India – including journalists, politicians and members of non-profit organizations such as Amnesty International – are the ones who received the most alerts in this latest spyware attack.
Mercenary Spyware: What Apple Notifications Receivers Should Do
To anyone who has received the security notification, Apple advises you to ask for help from industry experts, such as the support service provided by the non-profit organization Access Now. You can also contact the Digital Security Helpline via the dedicated website.
Furthermore, for all those users who feel threatened but have not received the warning in question, Apple recommends increasing the level of protection by enabling isolation mode on their device.