Apple has sent a new round of threat notifications to users in 110 countries who may have been targeted by mercenary spyware. The alerts warn that an iPhone may have been specifically selected for attack and urge recipients to take immediate steps to protect their devices and data.
Apple told TechCrunch that the latest notifications were sent on August 13. Since introducing the system in 2021, the company says it has notified targeted users in more than 150 countries.
The company has also updated how these warnings appear. According to Apple’s official support guidance, threat notifications can appear through a user’s Apple Account and are also sent to contact details associated with that account.
Apple Says the Alerts Should Be Taken Seriously
Apple describes mercenary spyware attacks as highly sophisticated campaigns aimed at a small number of specific people, often because of their identity or work. Journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats have historically been among the targets identified in research into commercial spyware.
Receiving a notification does not necessarily mean that an attacker successfully compromised the device. Apple says, however, that its threat notifications are high-confidence alerts that a person has been individually targeted and should not be ignored.
Apple does not attribute individual notifications to particular governments, companies, or countries. It says the expense, technical sophistication, and rapidly changing nature of mercenary spyware can make attacks difficult to detect and investigate conclusively.
Lockdown Mode Is One of Apple’s Recommended Protections
Recipients are advised to update their devices, review account security, and consider enabling Lockdown Mode. The feature places additional restrictions on parts of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS that can be exploited by highly targeted cyberattacks.
Apple describes Lockdown Mode as an optional form of extreme protection intended for the relatively small number of people who may face sophisticated spyware attacks. Some device functionality is deliberately limited while the mode is enabled to reduce the available attack surface.
Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton highlighted the latest notification campaign and said the more prominent warnings could help more targets seek technical assistance. Investigations triggered by individual alerts have previously helped researchers identify wider spyware campaigns affecting additional people.
Apple says mercenary spyware remains an ongoing global threat despite affecting only a small proportion of its users. The latest notifications continue a program that the company has operated several times a year since 2021.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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