iPhone users beware: Apple warns users in India, 91 countries of 'Mercenary Spyware' threat

Apple has issued warnings to iPhone users in India and 91 other countries, alerting them to potential attacks by spyware known as "mercenary spyware," including the infamous Pegasus made by the NSO Group in Israel. This isn't the first time Apple has sent such warnings; last October, they informed politicians in India from various parties about potential state-sponsored spyware attacks on their iPhones. However, Apple clarified that they couldn't attribute the attacks to any specific entity.

The alerts were sent out to users without directly implicating anyone for the attacks. These cautionary emails were sent around 12:30 am IST on Thursday, though the exact number of recipients remains unclear. 

The subject line of the email was "ALERT: Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone." Apple detailed in the email that such attacks are rare, sophisticated, and expensive, typically targeting a select few individuals. Users were advised to exercise caution with links and attachments from unknown senders.

The email stated, “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 -xxx-. 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.”

Apple refrained from providing extensive details about the warnings, citing concerns that it could aid attackers in evading detection. They updated their support page to assist users who might be targeted by such spyware attacks.