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Published 12 Apr, 2024 12:13am

Apple warns iPhone users in India, 91 other countries of spyware

Apple has warned its iPhones users in India and 91 other countries that they might come under attack by a type of spyware called “mercenary spyware,” including one called Pegasus made by a company called NSO Group in Israel.

The company issued a warning to the users, The Indian Express reported. “The warning emails were sent out around 12:30 am IST on Thursday.” The report did not mention the number of recipients, but it mentioned Pegasus spyware and said that similar tools were being used globally to target people.

Similar warnings were sent to politicians from different parties in India last October.

The development comes days before India goes into elections to elect a new government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is aiming for his third term, has recently taken steps to restrict opposition.

The subject line of the email stated “ALERT: Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone.” In the email, the company explained that such attacks were rare and “very sophisticated,” costing lots of money and targeting only a few people.

“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. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously,” the email said.

“Mercenary spyware attacks, such as those using Pegasus from the NSO Group, are exceptionally rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware. These attacks cost millions of dollars and are individually deployed against a very small number of people, but the targeting is ongoing and global,” it added.

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