Apple iPhone users in 98 countries have received a message from the company warning them of “mercenary spyware attacks” targeting its customers.
“This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do,” Apple said in a warning message to an iPhone user in India.
TechCrunch reported details of the warning messages. “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-,” said the message sent to the user in India seen by the outlet.
“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 added.
This is the second major warning from Apple this year. In April, the company sent messages to iPhone users in 92 countries warning them of cybercriminal attacks, and the company has been tight-lipped about who or what was behind the attacks. The company also sent similar warnings to Indian journalists and politicians last October, telling them to beware of state-sponsored cyber attacks.
Such attacks add to a pile of less-threatening but sometimes-serious software security problems Apple’s had to deal with recently across a range of products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch.
Apple most recently announced that it had to update its AirPods because hackers were breaking into the devices and controlling users’ audio.
