Apple has sent a new batch of threat notifications to users in 99 countries warning them they may be targeted by mercenary spyware. The company does not disclose the attackers or confirm whether a device has been compromised, but advises recipients to take the warnings seriously and seek expert assistance, including enabling features like Lockdown Mode.
The alerts began reaching German lawmakers and government officials last Thursday, prompting the country's Federal Office for Information Security to issue an urgent warning over the weekend. The agency advised recipients to "assume their device is no longer secure," while the German government stated it was "taking the incident and the warning very seriously" and "working flat out to investigate the circumstances." German spokesperson Stefan Kornelius declined to confirm if Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among those affected.
Reports indicate the attacks exploited a "zero-click" vulnerability, allowing attackers to compromise devices without any interaction, requiring only the target's phone number. Tech Crunch noted that others outside Germany also received the recent alert, including Beirut-based filmmaker Radwan Mortada, who shared his notice on X. It remains unclear who orchestrated the targeting or which government may have initiated it. Mortada previously reported being targeted by Pegasus spyware in 2017 and 2021.
Source: 9to5Mac · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing