GoKawiilYou're not alone if you just received an "Apple Threat Notification" saying it detected a "mercenary spyware attack targeted at your iPhone."
Some users on Reddit are reporting that they received these alerts today after Apple sent out a new batch of threat notifications on August 13, but the feature itself is not new.
Apple sent a new batch of alerts to users on August 13
Source: Reddit
Apple has been sending these threat notifications multiple times a year since 2021, when it detects highly targeted mercenary spyware attacks.
It's also worth pointing out that Apple does not identify the spyware behind individual alerts, so there's no evidence that today's notifications are specifically related to Pegasus.
However, Apple itself cites NSO Group's Pegasus as an example of mercenary spyware historically associated with this type of attack, and forensic investigations into previous Apple threat notifications have confirmed Pegasus infections in some cases.
In a support document, Apple previously confirmed it sends threat notifications to users in more than 150 countries after detecting highly targeted mercenary spyware attacks against specific iPhone users.
The list of potential targets includes journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats, who have historically been among those targeted by this type of spyware.
These attacks are expensive, highly sophisticated, and typically aimed at a very small number of people.
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