Apple alerts victims over government spyware infection in iPhones

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Apple has warned iPhone users in 100 countries about their devices being compromised due to spyware, and advised affected users to contact a nonprofit that specializes in investigating cyberattacks.

So far, two people have come forward about Apple's recent alert. One is Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino, who works for an online news outlet called Fanpage. Pellegrino explained in an article that Apple's alert arrived in the form of an email and a text message that informed him that he was targeted with spyware. The second individual who has come forward about the alert is Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a Dutch right-wing activist who took to X to share Apple's message in the form of screenshots.

Apple's message states the attack is mercenary spyware, which the company warns is "vastly more complex than regular cybercriminal activity and consumer malware" as mercenary spyware attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices. Apple writes on its website explaining its threat notifications that "Mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks."

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As for the message sent to Vlaardingerbroek, Apple states it has "high confidence in this warning - please take it seriously."

So, who is behind this spyware? Currently, it isn't known who or what entity is behind the spyware campaign, but for Apple to send alerts to individuals in over 100 countries, the attack seems substantial, meaning the individual/s behind it would have to have considerable resources. In the past, mercenary spyware has been developed privately and purchased by governments.