Apple has warned iPhone users in 98 countries to be wary of a new, dangerous spyware attack. This is Apple’s second warning in 2024, according to observers.
Those in affected countries will receive the following message, “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.”
“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.”
The 98 countries affected by the warning have not been disclosed.
According to its website, Apple has repeatedly issued threat notifications to affected users since 2021.
As of April 2024, users in 150 countries were contacted regarding possible problems. The most recent notice was in April this year, sent to users in 92 countries.
When mercenary spyware attack activities are spotted by Apple, it proceeds to contact users in two ways. One: it adds a threat notification to the top of the page when a user signs into a website with their Apple ID, and two: it sends out emails and iMessage notifications.
Apple is only issuing this warning to those in danger of the attack. If the user hasn’t received a notice, their account is likely safe.
