iPhone Spyware Scare: Apple Warns Users in 99 Countries
Germany’s government has confirmed that several members of parliament and public figures in the country received warnings from Apple that their iPhones may have been targeted by spyware. The attack is feared to affect tens of thousands of users across 99 countries.
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said members of the Bundestag, the country’s parliament, and other prominent figures had received official notifications from Apple. The alerts said their devices may have been targeted in a state-sponsored cyberattack.
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Germany was taking the incident very seriously, but did not disclose who had been targeted or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among them.
The spyware is particularly dangerous because it does not require victims to click on a link or open a specific file. These so-called “zero-click” exploits can infiltrate devices silently, then steal messages, track locations and access other sensitive data without leaving obvious traces.
Apple has not identified the country responsible for the attacks, nor confirmed whether devices have actually been compromised. The BSI has therefore advised anyone who receives an alert to assume their device has been affected and take immediate security measures.
Apple’s warnings were not limited to users in Germany. A film-maker in Beirut, Lebanon, also announced that they had received a similar alert, which said the notifications had been sent to users in 99 countries. It remains unclear who is behind the large-scale operation.
Attacks of this kind are often associated with commercial spyware sold by private companies, including Israel-made Pegasus. Many governments buy such tools for surveillance, but they have frequently been misused to spy on political opponents, journalists and activists.
Security experts advise anyone receiving such a warning to:
Update their device’s operating system to the latest version immediately.
Change passwords for important accounts and enable two-step verification.
Avoid opening suspicious messages or files.
Keep work devices separate from personal use where possible.