Apple Issues Urgent Alert To Users In 92 Countries — Beware Of Sophisticated 'Mercenary Spyware Attack'

Apple Inc. AAPL has alerted its users in 92 countries about a potential “mercenary spyware attack”.

What Happened: The tech giant has been sending out threat notification emails to users, warning them of attempts to “remotely compromise the iPhone”. The company described these attacks as rare and significantly more sophisticated than typical cybercriminal activities or malware, reported Reuters.

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Since 2021, Apple has been issuing such threat notifications multiple times a year, reaching users in over 150 countries.

In October 2023, some Indian lawmakers received notifications from Apple about potential targeting by state-sponsored attackers. However, the company did not attribute these threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker.

Why It Matters: This warning from Apple comes amid a global surge in cyber-espionage activities. Earlier this month, Microsoft reported a security breach that exposed internal company files and credentials.

In addition, cybersecurity experts have warned the United Kingdom about an impending wave of state-sponsored cyberattacks and AI-generated disinformation targeting its 2024 elections.

Chinese actors have also reportedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate videos and disseminate disinformation during Taiwan's national elections, raising concerns for the upcoming U.S. 2024 elections.

Furthermore, a report released by Alphabet Inc.'s Google revealed China as the leading nation in government-backed exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities.

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