GoKawiilAn unprecedented number of Apple customers have reported receiving a recent threat notification alerting them to suspected spyware attacks targeting their devices, according to experts who investigate these types of incidents.
Several people publicly and privately reported receiving Apple’s spyware alerts over the weekend, after Apple sent out a new wave of notifications on Friday alerting customers in 110 countries that they had been targeted with powerful spyware.
From time to time, the technology giant sends these types of alerts in batches to customers that it believes have been either targeted or compromised with malware normally used by governments, which the company refers to as “mercenary spyware.” In the last few years, Apple says it has alerted people in more than 150 countries.
The latest batch appears to have been the largest yet, per one of the digital rights groups that Apple suggests victims of spyware reach out to for help.
Mohammed Al-Maskati, the director of the Access Now team of investigators who review and investigate reports to the helpline, told TechCrunch that since Friday, they have received a record high number of people reaching out for help. This includes people who had already received threat notifications in the past.
Al-Maskati said the number is around 30% to 40% more than the nonprofit’s investigators usually receive after Apple sends out new notifications.
Cybersecurity firm iVerify also confirmed to TechCrunch that it was seeing an influx in threat notifications from Apple.
An unusually large number of people have also publicly reported receiving these notifications over the weekend as well, according to several social media posts.
Contact Us Have you received a notification from Apple about being targeted with mercenary spyware? Or do you have information about spyware makers? We would love to hear from you. From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or . Have you received a notification from Apple about being targeted with mercenary spyware? Or do you have information about spyware makers? We would love to hear from you. From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email
One of them is a Ukraine Armed Forces soldier who said he is fighting the war against Russia. The soldier, who asked to remain anonymous to protect himself, said that he initially thought it was a scam, until he verified it with Apple.
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