Apple has notified at least two new victims of spyware attacks in Europe this week.
Both victims, a Dutch conservative activist and an Italian journalist, say they were sent notifications by Apple on Tuesday informing them that they had been targeted by spyware.
“Apple has detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone,” the notification read. “It is likely that this attack is targeting you specifically because of your identity or activities.”
Conservative activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek said she received the Apple notification on Tuesday, adding that it was likely a naked attempt at intimidation.
“Yesterday I got a verified threat notification from Apple stating they detected a mercenary spyware attack against my iPhone,” she posted on X. “All I know for sure right now is that someone is trying to intimidate me. I have a message for them: It won’t work.”
Ciro Pellegrino, an Italian journalist for the site Fanpage, said he received the same Apple notification on Tuesday, informing him that he had been targeted for his past actions.
Mr. Pellegrino said independent investigators were unable to confirm the source of the attack or what kind of spyware was used.
“I won’t go into detail, but phones are the black boxes of our existence: audio, credit cards, contacts, bank credentials, identification documents, photos, geolocation, messages, passwords, texts, videos, biometric data, even medical records,” he wrote in a Fanpage article Wednesday. “Try to imagine this package huge — of sensitive data in the hands of malicious individuals.”
Mr. Pellegrino is the second Italian journalist from his outfit to be targeted in a spyware attack this year. In January, Mr. Pellegrino’s colleague, Francesco Cancellato, received a similar notification from WhatsApp informing him that he had been the victim of a spyware attack.
According to the notification, the attack came from the Israeli company Paragon Solutions. WhatsApp sent out dozens of notifications to journalists and activists around the world following the attack, alleging that their information had been compromised.
The Washington Times has reached out to Apple for comment.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.