Several opposition leaders received a threat notification on their iPhones. The alert notification read, “State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone”. This incident has left the country what is it, why did that happen, and in all seriousness, how to avoid such cyber attacks.
Let us break this for you. Most iPhone users worldwide won’t receive these alerts. They’re meant for specific individuals like political leaders, journalists, and activists. These notifications aim to help those who may be targeted by state-sponsored attackers.
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State-sponsored attacks are highly resource-intensive, making them challenging to detect and prevent, as they’re directed at a small number of specific individuals and their devices. These attacks are complex, expensive, and often short-lived due to their state-level coordination.
How to check if I received a legit threat notification
Firstly, Apple’s threat notifications will never request you to click links, open files, install apps or profiles, or share your Apple ID password or verification code via email or over the phone. To confirm the authenticity of an Apple threat notification, log in to yourappleid.apple.com. If you’ve received a legitimate threat notification from Apple, it will be prominently displayed at the top of the page after you’ve signed in.
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How to be on the safer side
- Keep your devices updated with the latest software, including security patches
- Use a two-factor authentication with a strong password (a blend of alphabets, numbers, and symbols)
- Avoid clicking on links or attachments from unknown senders
- Delete unidentified and unknown apps from the phone
- Don’t leave your phone unlocked, always lock it
- Don’t use public chargers as it poses threats of juice-jacking
All in all, if you find that your battery is draining too fast or the data is exhausting during the day even when you rarely use your phone. It is better to install an antivirus and check for malware.
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