Tech giant Apple has issued threat notifications to select users in 92 countries, including India, alerting them to potential targeting by ‘mercenary spyware’ such as Pegasus from the NSO Group.
These mercenary spyware attacks, known for their substantial funding and ongoing evolution, pose significant threats to targeted individuals.
Apple, according to a support document, relies exclusively on internal threat intelligence and investigations to identify such attacks. However, the company has not officially commented on the sending of threat notifications to affected users.
Since 2021, Apple has sent threat notifications several times a year as it detects these attacks, reaching users in over 150 countries to date.
Mercenary spyware attacks are among the most sophisticated and globally pervasive digital threats, owing to their extreme cost and complexity.
Recently, the Indian government issued a warning to Apple users in the country regarding multiple vulnerabilities in their devices.
CERT-In, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, highlighted various vulnerabilities in Apple products that could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code, bypass security measures, access sensitive information, gain elevated privileges, or cause denial of service.
The national cybersecurity agency advised Apple users to update their iOS software with the latest company updates to mitigate these risks.
