- iPhone users from 98 countries have received a warning about potential mercenary spyware attacks.
- The full list of countries at risk has not been revealed, but we do know that India is one of them. However, since these are believed to be targeted attacks, the common public is seemingly not at risk.
- Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Apple has sent out such warnings; similar threats loomed over iPhone users in October 2023 and April 2024.
Apple has issued a warning for users across 98 countries about potential mercenary spyware attacks. Not much is known about the attack and Apple is yet to release the official list of all the countries that are at risk, but according to sources, users in India have already started receiving the new alert.
“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.” – Apple’s alert message
The warning also mentioned that it’s possible you’re getting attacked because of who you are and what you do.
Apple also added that although attacks like these can never be detected with 100% certainty, this time around, the company is pretty confident about it—which is why it has requested all users to take the warning seriously.
Previous Spyware Attack Warnings by Apple
This isn’t the first time Apple has sent out a warning of this nature. The company has been sending similar threat notifications to users in over 150 countries since 2021.
For example, last October, Apple sent out warnings to several journalists and politicians about a possible attack.
Later, Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy group, discovered Pegasus—a highly invasive spyware developed by Israeli firm NSO Group—on the iPhones of a few well-known Indian journalists. Then, in September 2023, Apple rolled out an update to fix zero-day bugs linked to Pegasus spyware.
Another such warning was issued in April of this year to users from across 92 countries.
What Can You Do as a User?
Before you start to panic, it’s important to remember that not everyone will be affected by this spyware. As Apple said in its statement, the attack will depend on who you are or what you do.
Some precautionary measures to take note of:
- Make sure your device is updated
- Don’t download apps from unreliable sources
- Don’t open suspicious emails
- Don’t click on any attachments from unknown senders; just be careful of phishing attacks in general.
Now, if you feel your device has been victim of a spyware attack, there’s, unfortunately, not much you can do hands-on. For an immediate remedy, though, you can try switching off your device. This will temporarily disable the spyware.
Alternatively, you can enable Lockdown Mode on your iPhone, but remember that this will affect other functionalities of your device as well.
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Krishi Chowdhary Journalist 
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