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 at a time when several major democracies are preparing to hold critical elections.
iPhone users in 92 countries, including India, received notifications from Apple that their iPhone's ... [+]
Apple updated the security notice on its website on 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 month-and-half-long general elections—the world’s largest democratic exercise.
Apple doesn’t include any specific steps for users who have received the notifications, other than urging them to enlist help from cybersecurity experts.
- That is the number of countries where iPhone users have received such threat notifications since 2021, the company said.