According to a TechCrunch article, the Cupertino-based company has issued an alert, notifying iPhone users in over 100 countries that their devices have been “infected with spyware .” They warn that urgent security measures are needed to combat this very serious problem and advise that it be “taken seriously.” This is most likely Pegasus, the spyware manufactured by the Israeli company NSO.
Apple has never issued a security alert message before.
Let’s remember that spyware is widely sold to governments, so the target audience is broad, though selective, among journalists, activists, lawyers, and even political opponents. The Cupertino company has been constantly updating its operating systems to avoid falling prey to Pegasus’s schemes, although this time it hasn’t been effective.
Since 2021, Apple has been aware of the problem it’s facing, and that’s why it introduced a level of protection that detects when an iPhone running iOS has been infected with an attack. Apple sends alerts to users via iMessage, email, and even on the Apple Account website.
The person who shared the message in its entirety was Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek; she mentions Pegasus and does not claim that it is directly from them, but the tone in which the message was sent is worrying. It begins by indicating that a “mercenary spyware” attack has been detected that remotely compromises the iPhone. The notification has only reached specific users. It is suggested to activate isolation mode in the Privacy and Security section of Settings, in addition to updating the iPhone to the latest version of iOS and, if you have other Apple devices, updating them to the latest version and activating isolation mode on iPad and Mac. Additional support is also offered through Apple Support.
Pegasus attack infiltrates by itself; no interaction is necessary
It’s very important to clarify that becoming infected with mercenary spyware, as defined by Apple, doesn’t require clicking on a link or accessing any email or text message. It’s recommended that you ignore any suspicious messages about package tracking or any messages that compromise your security with false claims.
Those in Cupertino also suggest changing the passwords for any website or service used on the iPhone as a precaution, as they likely have access to those passwords. Finally, they emphasize that they cannot “provide further information” about their notification. This would be giving the attackers clues on how to avoid detection in the future. While this is happening, those in Cupertino will be working right away to release a complementary security update that could help eradicate the problem initially.
