Apple announced the sending of new alerts to customers who may be under attack by mercenary spy software.
The iPhone maker said it had issued warnings to an unspecified number of users in 110 nations. It has warned individuals in more than 150 countries since it began issuing threat notifications in late 2021.
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The technology giant stated that “the high cost, complexity and worldwide reach of mercenary spyware attacks classify them as some of today’s most advanced digital threats.” Apple also clarified that it does not link attacks or alerts to a specific attacker or location.
Typically, warnings are directed at individuals who may be specifically targeted because of their professions or activities, such as journalists, activists, politicians and diplomats. This focus on public figures demonstrates the intention to undermine access to information and freedom of expression in various spheres.
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How Mercenary Spyware Attacks Work
These attacks focus on a small number of people and their devices, being significantly more complex than common cyber criminal actions. This is due to the investment of time and resources by spyware creators to develop flaws that allow surveillance software to be installed.
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Apple has classified these threat notifications as high confidence warnings, signaling that a user has been attacked by mercenary spyware, and advises that recipients take the threat seriously. The company further explained that it does not disclose details about the criteria for alerts, thus preventing spyware developers from improving their approaches.
Users receive alert notifications in three different ways:
- An Apple threat warning appears on the lock screen, in Settings and on the user’s iPhone itself.
- A message is sent to emails linked to the user’s Apple account, sent from an official company address dedicated to threat alerts.
- A banner with the threat notification appears at the top of the user’s Apple account page after logging into the platform.
To reinforce security, the company advises updating devices to the latest software, protecting them with a password, Touch ID or Face ID, activating two-factor authentication (2FA) on the Apple account, enabling Device Theft Protection, installing apps only from secure sources, activating Lock Mode and not opening links or attachments from unknown sources.