It can hack mobile; Apple sent warning mail to 91 countries including India
Apple has expressed the danger of Pegasus-like spyware attack on the iPhone. According to the report of Economic Times, iPhone users are being targeted through ‘Mercenary Spyware’. An attempt is being made to access the iPhone through this.
Regarding this, Apple has sent a warning mail to its users in 91 countries including India, who could be potential victims of ‘Mercenary Spyware’ attack. This spyware is like Pegasus of Israel’s NSO Group. Its purpose is to gain unauthorized access to the device.
Mercenary spyware attackers use enormous resources to target a small number of specific people and their devices. These spyware attacks cost millions of dollars. They are very difficult to detect and stop.
Apple sent warning mail to some Indian users
- Apple has sent a warning mail to some Indian users on April 11 at around 12:30 pm Indian time. Its subject reads- Alert: Apple has detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack on your iPhone.
- The mail reads, ‘Apple has detected that you are the victim of a ‘Mercenary Spyware’ attack, which is attempting to remotely hack an iPhone associated with your Apple ID -xxx-. Please take this seriously.
- Mercenary spyware attacks are quite rare and much more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware. These attacks cost millions of dollars and target very few people.
How does spyware work?
- Intrudes your device: This can happen when you visit an unsafe website, inadvertently install an unsafe app, or even open a file attachment.
- Captures your data: Once spyware is on your device, it starts collecting data, which can be anything from your web activities to screen captures and your keystrokes.
- Gives data to a third party: Once the captured data reaches the spyware creator, he either uses it directly himself or sells it to a third party. The data may also include credit card and bank login details.
Apple sent threat notification in October last year
In October last year, Apple had sent a notification of ‘state sponsored’ attack in many countries including India. In India, that threat notification was sent to many leaders of opposition parties including TMC leader Mahua Moitra, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and some journalists.
Apple wrote in the threat notification – Apple believes that state sponsored attackers are trying to target you. An attempt is being made to remotely compromise the iPhone linked to your Apple ID.
If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attack, they can access your sensitive data, communications, and camera and microphone. It is possible that this may be a false alarm, but take this warning seriously.” However, the government had rejected the allegations of phone hacking.
Threat Notification to Inform and Assist
According to Apple’s website, threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may be targeted by state-sponsored attackers. In this notification, information is also given about what steps can be taken to secure the phone including enabling lockdown mode.
Lockdown mode helps protect devices from extremely rare and highly sophisticated cyber attacks. When lockdown mode is enabled, your device will not function as it normally does. To prevent attacks, some apps, websites and features are limited.
Follow three steps for security
- Update your devices to the latest software, as it includes the latest security fixes.
- Protect devices with a passcode. Use two-factor authentication and a strong password for your Apple ID.
- Install apps from the App Store only. Do not click on links or attachments from unknown senders. Use strong and unique passwords.
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