WARNING! Apple users in India, 91 countries targeted by 'mercenary spyware' attack: All you need to know
By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Apr 11, 2024, 12:37 PM ISTApple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. Mercenary spyware attacks are vastly more complex than regular cybercriminal activity and consumer malware, as mercenary spyware attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices.
Along with 91 other nations, Apple has sent a new wave of risk alerts to some of its users in India, alerting them to the possibility that their iPhone was compromised by "mercenary spyware," which includes the infamous Pegasus virus from the Israeli NSO Group.
Apple has not assigned blame to any stakeholder for the latest round of assaults. It had previously sent a similar alert in October of last year to Opposition figures from all political parties, including Mahua Moitra of the TMC, Shashi Tharoor of Congress, and Raghav Chadha of the AAP, alerting them to a "potential state-sponsored spyware attack" on their iPhones.
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The business then emphasized that it "does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker" in response to government pressure.
The threat notification emails were sent at around 12.30 am IST on Thursday (April 11) to impacted users in India. It is unclear how many people have received the threat notification from Apple. The email also makes reference to the Pegasus malware developed by the NSO-Group, claiming that such tools are often used to target individuals all around the world.
The alert clarifies that, in contrast to regular malware, mercenary spyware assaults are extremely uncommon and target certain people. According to reports, these assaults are frequently quite sophisticated, and Apple stresses how important it is to heed the warning.
What did the notification say?
The notification that users reportedly received said: "This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously."
If you have received an Apple threat notification, Apple said on its page: "We strongly suggest you enlist expert help, such as the rapid-response emergency security assistance provided by the Digital Security Helpline at the nonprofit Access Now. Apple threat notification recipients can contact the Digital Security Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week through their website. Outside organizations do not have any information about what caused Apple to send a threat notification, but they can assist targeted users with tailored security advice."
These 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.
Apple maintains a policy of not revealing details about potential attackers to prevent them from adapting their methods. The company has reportedly sent similar threat notifications to users in over 150 countries since 2021.
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