‘Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack,’ one Apple message reads.
Apple is warning iPhone users of possible “mercenary spyware attacks” via its text message-based threat notification system, according to a antivirus software company, messages posted online by users, a human rights group, and the operator of a prominent cybersecurity research department.
“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,” the message from Apple reads, according to
MalwareBytes, the longtime purveyor of anti-virus software.
The group and several technology news websites stated that Apple sent the alerts out to individuals in more than 98 countries, which The Epoch Times could not immediately verify. Apple has not publicly confirmed the recent messages that it sent out, and The Epoch Times contacted the tech giant for comment on Friday.
A screenshot of a text message sent by Apple to a number of users this week displayed a similar message with the Apple ID number.
Amnesty International, a UK-based human rights organization,
warned on July 10 that Apple “sent another round of notifications to iPhone users to inform them that they are being targeted by” sophisticated spyware attacks before it urged people who are members of a civil society and are being targeted to immediately
contact the rights group.
Meanwhile, John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with Citizen Lab, a prominent cybersecurity research institution operated by the University of Toronto, warned in a social media
post that people who received such alerts should “take them seriously” and “get expert help,” namely if the individual is a “journalist, activist, [or] dissident.”
“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 said in its warning, a
screenshot of which was posted by Iltija Mufti, the daughter and advisor to Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of India’s Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party and a former chief minister of the territory.
According to a bulletin issued by
Apple in April, people who receive such alerts are “likely” being targeted “because of who you are and what you do,” adding that mercenary spyware like the controversial Pegasus program made by the Israeli-based NSO Group are “vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware.”
In February, the digital rights group AccessNow
said that the Pegasus spyware was used to hack the cellphones of at least 30 people, including journalists, lawyers, human rights, and political activists in Jordan. One of the reported targets was Human Rights Watch’s deputy director for the region, Adam Coogle.
“One of the targets’ iPhones was successfully hacked on December 5, 2021, showing that NSO Group has remained active on Apple’s platform even after Apple sued NSO Group and notified Pegasus targets in November 2021,” CitizenLab
said in an April report.
In response to the allegations, NSO Group has said that it only sells to vetted intelligence and law enforcement agencies—and only for use against terrorists and serious criminals.
In a previous statement in response to claims made about the Pegasus software, NSO
said that it “does not operate the systems that it sells to vetted government customers, and does not have access to the data of its customers’ targets.”
Other iPhone Alerts
Separately, Symantec, another antivirus software purveyor,
said earlier this month that criminals are now actively seeking to exploit Apple IDs through malicious SMS messages, known as “smishing” attacks.
“These credentials are highly valued, providing control over devices, access to personal and financial information, and potential revenue through unauthorized purchases,” Symantec owner Broadcom Inc. said in a July 2 notice published on its website.
It added that the firm’s “brand reputation makes users more susceptible to trusting deceptive communications that appear to be from Apple, further enhancing the attractiveness of these targets to cybercriminals.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
