Apple Launches Fresh Round of Spyware Threat Notifications

Apple is sending out a fresh round of mercenary spyware notifications to users, informing them they have been targeted.

Apple sent a similar notice in April 2024, informing users in 92 countries that they had been targeted. According to TechCrunch, Apple is now notifying users in 98 countries that they may have been targeted.

Apple’s threat notifications are designed to “inform and assist users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks.” The company goes on to explain that these kind of attacks are far more complex and dangerous than basic cybercriminal or malware attacks, but that the vast majority of users will never be the target of this type of attack.

Individuals who are usually targeted by the kind of attacks covered by threat notifications are activists, diplomats, journalists, and politicians.

Mercenary spyware attacks are exceptionally well funded and they evolve over time. Apple relies solely on internal threat-intelligence information and investigations to detect such attacks. Although our investigations can never achieve absolute certainty, Apple threat notifications are high-confidence alerts that a user has been individually targeted by a mercenary spyware attack and should be taken very seriously. We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help mercenary spyware attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future.

Apple outlines what users should do if they have received a threat notification.

We strongly suggest that you enlist expert help, such as the rapid-response emergency security assistance provided by the Digital Security Helpline at the non-profit Access Now. Apple threat notification recipients can contact the Digital Security Helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through their website. Outside organisations do not have any information about what caused Apple to send a threat notification, but they can assist targeted users with tailored security advice.

In total, Apple has notified users in 150 countries since it began sending threat notifications 2021.

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