Apple Issues New iPhone ‘Mercenary Spyware’ Attack Alert In 98 Countries, India On The List Again?

Apple has issued its latest version of the mercenary spyware attack alert for iPhone users in over 98 countries on July 11 which is likely to include India as well. The attacks are dubbed to be as dangerous as the NSO Group’s Pegasus which puts all your data and activities on the device at risk of being hacked and monitored by bad actors. The company has sent out this alert previously as well, and does so when it detects major intrusion in iPhone and other devices.

iPhone Spyware Attack Issue: What Apple Tells The Users

“Apple sends an email and iMessage notification to the email addresses and phone numbers associated with the user’s Apple ID,” the company says about the general messaging it shares with the affected iPhone users. Once again, it is not immediately clear who and how many users received the notification in India.

Apple personally connects with these users, adding their Apple ID to personalise the communication, which says, ““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 . This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do.”

Like the previous cases, Apple refuses to share the details from where these attacks originate, and even in this case, the mail alert reaching the iPhone users clearly states the following.

The company does highlight the extreme cost of owning these spyware tools that mean that the attacks mostly originate through state-run entities targeting select individuals. ““Mercenary spyware attacks, such as those using Pegasus from the NSO Group, are exceptionally rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware.”

The latest Apple alert email quickly cites some important tips to the affected iPhone users. The company asks them to enable lockdown mode on their iPhones right away, update to the latest iOS 17 version, update all the other Apple devices they use, and avoid entertaining messages and links from strangers to avoid further damage or data loss.