Ethical Hacking News
Apple has sent out a large wave of spyware warnings to users it believes were targeted by highly sophisticated mercenary spyware. The company has warned users in 110 countries and has seen a record number of people reaching out for help following the latest alerts. Apple advises users to take the warnings seriously and to enable Lockdown Mode to protect their devices.
Apple has sent spyware warnings to users in 110 countries, a unusually large number of people have received the warnings over the weekend. These attacks are highly sophisticated campaigns backed by "exceptional resources" that target specific people and their devices. Targets of these attacks often include journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats. Apple has sent threat notifications several times a year since 2021, but this latest round appears to be on a different scale. The number of people reaching out to Access Now for help following the latest alerts is about 30-40% higher than usual. Apple is displaying threat notifications directly on iPhone lock screens and in the Settings app, making them harder to miss. Successful spyware attacks can give attackers nearly complete access to a user's phone information. Apple advises users to enable Lockdown Mode and seek expert help like Access Now's Digital Security Helpline.
Apple, the tech giant, has recently sent out a large wave of spyware warnings to users it believes were targeted by highly sophisticated mercenary spyware. This alert has been issued to users in 110 countries, with an unusually large number of people reporting to have received the warnings over the weekend.
According to TechCrunch, the company started sending out these notifications to users on Thursday, and this is not the first time Apple has sent out such warnings. In a support page published last week, Apple described mercenary spyware attacks as highly sophisticated campaigns backed by "exceptional resources" that target a small number of specific people and their devices.
These types of attacks have historically been tied to governments and utilize spyware from private companies like the NSO Group’s Pegasus. Targets of these attacks often include journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats. The company notes that mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent.
Apple says it has sent threat notifications several times a year since 2021 and has warned users in more than 150 countries. However, this latest round appears to be on a different scale. Access Now, a digital rights group that Apple directs targeted users to for help, told TechCrunch that it received a record number of people reaching out following the latest alerts. The group’s Director, Mohammed Al-Maskati, said the number was about 30% to 40% higher than the organization typically sees after Apple sends a new round of notifications.
One reason for the uptick could be a change in how Apple warns users, which makes the alerts much harder to miss. Starting this year, Apple began displaying threat notifications directly on users’ iPhone lock screens and in the Settings app, in addition to sending them by email and displaying them on a user’s Apple Account page. Apple notes that notification types can vary depending on a user’s device model and software version.
If spyware does successfully compromise a device, it can potentially give attackers nearly complete access to the information stored in a user’s phone. Spyware like Pegasus has been used to secretly surveil targeted phones, including photos, documents, and encrypted messages. Apple advises anyone who receives an alert to enable Lockdown Mode, a security feature that restricts certain phone functions to make successful attacks more difficult. For instance, it blocks most message attachment types, limits incoming FaceTime calls from unfamiliar contacts, and restricts some web browsing features.
The company also recommends that targeted users seek expert help like Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, which provides emergency cybersecurity assistance.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Apple-Unveils-Urgent-Spyware-Warnings-to-Targeted-Users-Across-110-Countries-ehn.shtml
https://gizmodo.com/apple-is-sending-out-a-huge-wave-of-spyware-warnings-you-should-take-them-seriously-2000799891
Published: Tue Aug 18 12:39:26 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
