2024-04-11 09:33:45
Apple has once again used its software attack prevention system by issuing a notification to several dozen users around the world.
This Wednesday, iPhone users in 92 countries (including India) have received from Apple one notification de menace. This information is sent to people whom Apple has become convinced that their iPhone has been the subject of a targeted attack using what it calls a ” mercenary spyware ».
Threat notifications are sent by iMessage, by email and an alert is displayed on the user’s appleid.apple.com page. The warning received says:
Apple has detected that you are the target of a mercenary spyware attack that is attempting to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx. This attack likely targets you specifically because of who you are or what you do. While it is never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has great confidence in this warning – please take it seriously.
There are no details yet on the possible security flaw that may have been exploited or on the countries. In its message to the people targeted, Apple also states that it cannot give more information on the reasons for sending this warning so as not to help the authors improve their angles of attack.
Via Reddit.
Since 2021 this system has been used in 150 countries, explains Apple. This software is unique, compared to other more traditional malware, in that it targets carefully chosen people — for example activists, members of the political class, journalists, etc. — and that they involve the implementation of significant and costly resources:
These attacks are much more complex than typical cybercriminal activities and consumer malware because the people carrying out such attacks use exceptional resources to specifically target a very small number of people and their devices. Mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often occur over a short period of time, making them much more difficult to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never be the target of such attacks.
Previously Apple described these attackers as state-sponsored, but now prefers the term mercenaries. The example highlighted is that of the Pegasus software from the Israeli company NSO Group which was widely used before being discovered.
NSO fails to invalidate Apple’s Pegasus spyware complaint
Pegasus spyware used by at least five EU countries
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