Apple warns users in 92 countries they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks

Apple sent out threat notifications to users in 92 countries on Wednesday, informing them that they may have been the target of “mercenary spyware attacks,” a warning that comes as several countries are preparing to hold critical elections.

Key Takeaways

• Apple updated the security notice on its website Wednesday, which states that threat notifications are “designed to inform and assist users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks.”
• According to several Indian news outlets, including the Economic Times and the Indian Express, some iPhone users in the country received notifications from Apple alerting them of an attack “that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID.”
• The notification informed the user they were likely being targeted specifically “because of who you are or what you do,” and urged them to take it “seriously.”
• The reports do not name any individuals in India who received the notifications, but it comes just a week before the start of the country’s six-week general elections—the world’s largest democratic exercise.
• Apple doesn’t include specific steps for users who have received the notifications, other than urging them to enlist help from cybersecurity experts.

https://www.forbes.com.au/news/world-news/apple-warns-users-in-92-countries-they-may-have-been-targeted-by-mercenary-spyware-attacks/