Apple, the renowned iPhone manufacturer, has sent out a new series of alerts to its users in 91 countries, including India. These warnings are about ‘mercenary spyware’, which includes the much-debated Pegasus malware.
These recent warnings, which have also reached users in India, are part of Apple’s initiative to alert device owners about possible threats to their privacy and data security.
In October 2023, Apple had circulated a similar alert to political figures from different parties in India, such as Shashi Tharoor from Congress, Raghav Chadha from Aam Aadmi Party, and Mahua Moitra from Trinamool Congress. This alert was about a “potential state-sponsored spyware attack” aimed at their iPhones.
In 2021, the Supreme Court had set up a technical expert committee to probe into the allegations of unauthorized surveillance using the Pegasus software, a product of the Israeli firm NSO Group.
By August 2022, the committee appointed by the Supreme Court concluded that out of the 29 mobile phones it inspected, none had the spyware. However, five mobile phones were found to have malware.
Apple pointed out that, as per public reports and research conducted by civil society organizations, tech companies, and journalists, such high-cost and complex attacks have typically been linked to state actors. This includes private firms that create mercenary spyware for them, like Pegasus from the NSO Group.
Apple mentioned that these attacks, though targeted at a very small group of individuals—often journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats—are continuous and worldwide.
Since 2021, Apple has been sending out threat notifications several times a year as it identifies these attacks. So far, the company has sent notifications to users in more than 150 countries.
Apple stressed that “the high cost, sophistication, and global reach of mercenary spyware attacks classify them among the most advanced digital threats today.” Consequently, Apple does not associate the attacks or the resulting threat notifications with any specific attackers or geographical regions.
In its alerts, Apple offers additional measures that users can adopt to safeguard their devices, such as activating Lockdown Mode.
Apple recommends its users to keep their devices updated with the latest security patches and to be careful when dealing with suspicious links or messages.