The day before, on August 13, Apple sent notifications to some iPhone users about a spyware attack targeting them personally. The manufacturer recommends that you take this warning seriously.
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After 2021, Apple will send out such notifications several times a year when it detects targeted spyware attacks. The company did not reveal what kind of malware was behind the incident, so we can’t say with certainty that we’re talking about the Israeli Pegasus system. However, Apple cited this as an historical example of such attacks, and investigations conducted after receiving such notifications related to previous incidents have in some cases confirmed Pegasus infections.
When the iPhone manufacturer detects signs of an attack, it sends alerts to device owners in more than 150 countries. The most likely targets are devices belonging to journalists, activists, politicians and diplomats. These attacks are sophisticated and costly, often targeting a very small number of device owners. “Targeted spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and are often short-lived, making them more difficult to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never fall victim to such an attack.”Apple explains. The manufacturer does not provide instructions from any specific country, regional or company authorities but warns that such warnings should be taken seriously.
To identify such threats, Apple uses its own analysis tools, which suggests the warnings are highly reliable. “While our investigation can never provide absolute certainty, Apple threat notifications provide high-confidence warnings that users have been targeted by spyware and should be taken seriously. We are unable to provide information about why threat alerts were sent, as this may help spyware attackers tailor their actions to avoid detection in the future.”Apple added.
When malicious activity is detected, the company sends email and iMessage notifications to the address associated with the user’s account. These emails typically come from “threat-notifications@email.apple.com” and the company also warns about fake versions of these notifications. These alerts are never accompanied by a request to click a link, open a file, install an app, or provide a password or account verification code. This notification is also repeated when you log in to account.apple.com. Device owners who believe they have been the victim of an attack are advised to enable blocking mode and contact a cybersecurity expert.
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