Apple has sent fresh threat notifications to its users in 92 countries including India. The threat notification warns users that their iPhone could have been potentially attacked by “mercenary spyware,” The company has not attributed recent attacks to any stakeholder.
Apple sent out threat notification emails to impacted users in India on Thursday (April 11) at around 12:30 am IST. It is uncertain how many individuals received the alert from Apple. The email highlights the use of NSO-Group's Pegasus spyware to target people globally on an ongoing basis.
For the unversed, Apple, last October, also warned several Opposition leaders, including Congress's Shashi Tharoor, AAP's Raghav Chadha, and TMC's Mahua Moitra about a potential state-sponsored spyware attack on their iPhones. Under pressure from the government, Apple later clarified that it does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker.
New threat notifications were accessed by Indian Express. According to the publication, the subject line of the notification reads, “ALERT: Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone.”
The company has advised users to be cautious while clicking on links they receive. It is recommended not to open any links or attachments from unknown or unexpected senders. However, the company refrained from providing more information about the cause of the threat notification. It stated that doing so could help the mercenary spyware attackers adapt their behaviour and evade detection in the future.
Apple has also updated its support page to provide tips for users who may have been targets of the mercenary spyware attack. “Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, likely because of who they are or what they do,” said the iPhone maker.
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