Apple threat notifications are designed to notify users when they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. A new wave of these notifications has been sent to users across 110 countries. While Apple has sent warnings to users in 150 countries to date, the specific number of users or entities targeting them was not shared.

These notifications arrive when an iPhone, iPad, or Mac might have been targeted by mercenary spyware. Receiving a notification does not mean the user has been hacked, but rather that they may have been targeted as part of an attack. These alerts should be taken seriously.

Generally, those being targeted are high-profile individuals, such as government officials, activists, journalists, military, or law enforcement. The likelihood of a random civilian being targeted is near zero due to the high cost of these attacks. If a user receives such a notification, a recommended first step is to place the device into Lockdown Mode.