At least seven Opposition Members of Parliament said on October 31, 2023, that they received a warning from Apple that “State-sponsored attackers may be targeting” their iPhones.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra, Congress’ Pawan Khera and Shashi Tharoor, CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury, AAP’s Raghav Chadda and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi are among those who shared the alert sent by Apple on X (formerly Twitter).
The novelist and newspaper editor Sriram Karri also said he received a similar email on his iPhone being targeted by state-sponsored attackers. An Apple spokesperson didn’t have an immediate comment to offer on the alerts.
“ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone,” the message received by MPs from “[email protected]” said. “Apple believes you are being targeted by state- sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone. While it’s possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously,” the message read.
The MPs have been vocal in their criticism against the Union government. Ms. Moitra has questioned the alleged nexus of Modi government with businessman Gautam Adani. Response from the Union Home Ministry is awaited.
“Received text & email from Apple warning me Govt trying to hack into my phone & email. @HMOIndia - get a life. Adani & PMO bullies - your fear makes me pity you. @priyankac19 - you, I , & 3 other INDIAns have got it so far,” Ms. Moitra alleged sharing the screenshot of the message.
“Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?,” posted Mr. Khera.
“Wonder who? Shame on you. Cc: @HMOIndia for your kind attention,” Ms. Chaturvedi said sharing the screenshot.
Shashi Tharoor wrote: “Received from an Apple ID, [email protected], which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?”
According to an Apply support document published on the company’s website on August 22, 2023, “Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers. These users are individually targeted because of who they are or what they do.”
“Unlike traditional cybercriminals, state-sponsored attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices, which makes these attacks much harder to detect and prevent,” the document adds.
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