Apple Warns Users Of Mercenary Spyware Attack

Apple Inc., the company that makes iPhones, has warned users in 92 countries of a possible mercenary malware attack.

In a notification email that was sent to targeted users and seen by Reuters, Apple stated that attackers remotely tried to compromise the iPhone

“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,” Apple stated in its letter to users.

According to the tech company, “Mercenary spyware attacks are exceptionally well-funded and they evolve over time. Apple relies solely on internal threat-intelligence information and investigations to detect such attacks.

“Although our investigations can never achieve absolute certainty, Apple threat notifications are high-confidence alerts that a user has been individually targeted by a mercenary spyware attack and should be taken very seriously.

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“We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help mercenary spyware attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future.”

It however warned those who have received the alert to seek expert help, such as the rapid-response emergency security assistance provided by the Digital Security Helpline at the non-profit Access Now, Apple also provides general safety guidelines for all

iPhone users.

“All users should continue to protect themselves from general cybercriminals and consumer malware by following best practices for security. Users should update devices to the latest software, as that includes the latest security fixes. They should always protect their devices with a passcode and use two-factor authentication and a strong password for Apple ID,” it advised.