Apple is warning iPhone users in 98 countries to be on the lookout for potential mercenary spyware attacks. According to TechCrunch, this is the company’s second such warning in 2024.
Folks in the affected countries are receiving the following message from Apple: “Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-.”
The warning goes on to say: “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.”
Apple did not release the 98 nations affected by this warning. However, TechCrunch confirmed India is one of them. According to a notice on its website, Apple has sent threat notifications to affected users multiple times since 2021. As of April of this year, users in 150 countries were contacted when possible problems were detected. The most recent notice was sent to users in 92 nations in April.
When Apple detects activity consistent with a mercenary spyware attack, it contacts users in two ways. First, it adds a threat notification at the top of the page after a user has signed into the Apple ID website. Second, it sends email and iMessage notifications to the users.
So, what does all of this mean for you? Hopefully, nothing. Apple is only sending this warning to people who are in danger of the spyware attack. As such, if you haven’t yet received a notice from Apple about the possible mercenary spyware attack, your account is almost certainly in the clear. It’s worth keeping an eye out just in case you missed it, but if you haven’t seen anything yet, you’re likely fine.
