Apple has just alerted iPhone owners of a hacking operation targeting their device. A major operation, since it affects 92 countries across the planet!
Smartphones can be targets of hackers as much as computers, as shown by the famous Pegasus scandal, named after the Israeli spyware then implicated, in which activists were targeted by states across the planet. Could this scenario be repeating itself? It is quite possible, given the large-scale alert which has just been sounded by the American giant Apple.
People targeted all over the planet
Apple has seen red in recent days. The Cupertino company has just sent an alert to iPhone owners in no less than 92 countries, by email and iMessage, in order to warn them of the fact that they are potentially the target of sponsored pirates by a state.
“ Apple has detected that you are the target of mercenary spyware that attempts to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID » have thus received a message from many people. Without obtaining more details on the identities of the attackers, nor the reason for this offensive.
An operation of unprecedented scale?
“ It is likely that this attack is targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do » the Cupertino company could only assert. It is still interesting to note that in its warning email, Apple speaks of “mercenary spyware”. However, according to the American giant, these are attacks “ much more complex than typical cybercriminal activities and consumer malware, as mercenary attackers use exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices. »
Apple’s support page thus mentions the Pegasus affair in which journalists, activists, members of civil society and technology companies were targeted. In short, it is quite possible that the targets of this operation today are similar to those of yesterday. Note that Apple has since 2021 sent this type of notification several times a year, for a total of 150 countries concerned. However, this single operation detected today applies to at least 92 countries, therefore marking its importance.
Source : Neowin, Apple Support Page
2