Apple warns users in 99 countries of mercenary spyware attacks

Apple sent threat notifications to users in 99 countries warning of possible mercenary spyware attacks, according to reports from the Financial Times and TechCrunch. The alerts arrived as German authorities began investigating reports that lawmakers and government officials had also received them.

The Financial Times said German lawmakers and government officials began receiving Apple alerts on October 29. Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security then issued an urgent warning over the weekend. The agency advised recipients to "assume their device is no longer secure". According to Business Today, Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed that members of the government and parliament received the notifications. Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told the Financial Times that Berlin was “taking the incident and the warning very seriously” and would not say whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was affected.

The Financial Times reported that the attacks exploited a zero-click vulnerability, meaning hackers needed only the target's phone number to carry out the attack. Business Today noted that such spyware can potentially access messages, including those sent through encrypted apps, along with contacts, calls, location, camera and microphone. The FT reported that officials believed the operation was almost certainly state-backed, but neither the attackers nor the spyware vendor has been identified.

Apple has not named any attacker or confirmed that a device was successfully compromised. The company advises recipients to take the warnings seriously and seek expert assistance, and it publishes guidance that includes enabling Lockdown Mode. TechCrunch reported that the alerts reached people outside Germany, including Beirut-based filmmaker Radwan Mortada, who shared his notification on X. Mortada had been targeted by Pegasus spyware in 2017 and 2021. He said he did not know who was behind the latest attempt or if it related to a documentary he directed.

It remains unclear who launched this round. TechCrunch said it is not known which government, if any, orchestrated the targeting. According to the notice Mortada received, Apple said its latest round of threat notifications covered users in 99 countries. Apple periodically sends these alerts when it believes individuals may have been specifically targeted by mercenary spyware. Business Today added that commercial spyware companies, including Israel’s NSO Group, make Pegasus and sell it to governments. TechCrunch reported that Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office bought access to Pegasus in 2019.