It was a normal day when Jay Gibson got an unexpected notification on his iPhone. “Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone,” the message read.
Ironically, Gibson used to work at companies that developed exactly the kind of spyware that could trigger such a notification. Still, he was shocked that he received a notification on his own phone. He called his father, turned off and put his phone away, and went to buy a new one.
“I was panicking,” he told TechCrunch. “It was a mess. It was a huge mess.”
Gibson is just one of an ever-increasing number of people who are receiving notifications from companies like Apple, Google, and WhatsApp, all of which send similar warnings about spyware attacks to their users. Tech companies are increasingly proactive in alerting their users when they become targets of government hackers, and in particular those who use spyware made by companies such as Intellexa, NSO Group, and Paragon Solutions.
But while Apple, Google, and WhatsApp alert, they don’t get involved in what happens next. The tech companies direct their users to people who could help, but at which point the companies step away.
This is what happens when you receive one of these warnings.
Warning
You have received a notification that you were the target of government hackers. Now what?
First of all, take it seriously. These companies have reams of telemetry data about their users and what happens on both their devices and their online accounts. These tech giants have security teams that have been hunting, studying, and analyzing this type of malicious activity for years. If they think you have been targeted, they are probably right.
It’s important to note that in the case of Apple and WhatsApp notifications, receiving one doesn’t mean you were necessarily hacked. It’s possible that the hacking attempt failed, but they can still tell you that someone tried.
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