Experts have reported an unusually high number of warnings from Apple about spyware
On Friday, Apple sent notifications to users in 110 countries about potential attacks involving powerful spyware. Experts investigating such incidents reported an unusually large number of people who received these warnings.
According to TechCrunch, Apple periodically sends such notifications to customers whose devices, in the company’s assessment, may have been targeted or compromised by malware typically used by governments. The company refers to this type of threat as “state-sponsored spyware.” Over the past few years, Apple has warned users in more than 150 countries.
Mohammed Al-Masqati, director of the Access Now research team, told TechCrunch that since Friday, the organization has received a record number of calls to its hotline. Among those who reached out were people who had already received similar warnings. According to him, the number of reports is approximately 30–40% higher than usual following Apple’s latest wave of alerts. According to Access Now, this batch of warnings may be the largest ever.
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One of those who reported receiving a warning is a servicemember of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who is fighting against Russia, the aggressor state. He asked that his name not be disclosed for security reasons. According to the soldier, he initially thought the message was a scam, but later verified its authenticity with Apple. He also said he knows of other members of the Ukrainian military who received similar notifications.
Ukraine’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiry regarding whether it was aware of other Ukrainians, particularly military personnel, who had received such notifications.
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, noted that the scale and geographic diversity of public reports about receiving alerts are unprecedented. He added that public reports may reflect only a fraction of the total number of notifications sent. Al-Maskat and Scott-Railton also suggested that the number of user reports may have been influenced by Apple’s new notification method: since the beginning of the year, the company has been displaying alerts on the iPhone lock screen, in the “Settings” app, sends them to the email address associated with the Apple ID, and displays them when logging into the account via the website.
