Apple has issued fresh alert to its users in India and 91 other countries, warning them against potential exposure to a Pegasus-type “mercenary spyware.” The spyware can potentially infiltrate iPhones remotely, like Pegasus.
Describing the nature of such spyware attacks, including those orchestrated by entities like NSO Group’s Pegasus, Apple has emphasised that these attacks are highly sophisticated and entail substantial financial investments, costing millions of dollars, which makes the target group exceptionally small, compared to typical cybercriminal activities or consumer malware.
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“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 -xxx-. This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do,” the Apple notification being sent out to iPhone users says, adding that, “Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously.”
Apple, per usual, advises users to turn on lockdown mode in their iPhones and refrain from opening links or attachments from unknown senders.
“Such attacks are 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. 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,” Apple’s updated support page reads at the time of writing.
