Apple sends new round of mercenary spyware threat notifications to users in 99 countries
Apple has begun sending a new wave of threat notifications to users in 99 countries, warning of targeted mercenary spyware attacks, according to researcher Costin Raiu. The wave is separate from the August round, which covered 110 countries, and is tied to new attacks. Apple says it has notified users in over 150 countries in total since its program began in 2021. The notice names no spyware vendor, vulnerability, delivery mechanism or responsible government.
Detalhes técnicos
- Apple describes the alerts as high-confidence warnings, but an alert does not prove the device was compromised, and Apple admits its investigations cannot be absolutely certain.
- Targets are highly selective and may be chosen for their identity or professional activities.
- The country counts from separate rounds should not be added together to estimate unique affected countries.
- The article cites the unrelated Graphite spyware case against journalists, which used an iMessage zero-click exploit (CVE-2025-43200) that was fixed in an iOS update. Nothing links Graphite to this wave.
Remediação
- Verify alerts by signing in to your Apple Account manually, where a notification banner appears. Alerts also arrive by email and on supported iPhones.
- Enable Lockdown Mode and seek specialist help, such as Access Now's Digital Security Helpline (available 24/7).
- Genuine Apple notifications never ask for passwords, verification codes, app installs, configuration profiles or file downloads. Treat any such request as suspicious.
Linha do tempo
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Apple sends new round of mercenary spyware threat notifications to users in 99 countries
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Apple has begun sending a new wave of threat notifications to users in 99 countries, warning of targeted mercenary spyware attacks, according to researcher Costin Raiu. The wave is separate from the August round, which covered 110 countries, and is tied to new attacks. Apple says it has notified users in over 150 countries in total since its program began in 2021. The notice names no spyware vendor, vulnerability, delivery mechanism or responsible government.
Technical Details
- Apple describes the alerts as high-confidence warnings, but an alert does not prove the device was compromised, and Apple admits its investigations cannot be absolutely certain.
- Targets are highly selective and may be chosen for their identity or professional activities.
- The country counts from separate rounds should not be added together to estimate unique affected countries.
- The article cites the unrelated Graphite spyware case against journalists, which used an iMessage zero-click exploit (CVE-2025-43200) that was fixed in an iOS update. Nothing links Graphite to this wave.
Remediation
- Verify alerts by signing in to your Apple Account manually, where a notification banner appears. Alerts also arrive by email and on supported iPhones.
- Enable Lockdown Mode and seek specialist help, such as Access Now's Digital Security Helpline (available 24/7).
- Genuine Apple notifications never ask for passwords, verification codes, app installs, configuration profiles or file downloads. Treat any such request as suspicious.