Apple Is Sending Out a Huge Wave of Spyware Warnings. You Should Take Them Seriously

Apple appears to be sending out a large wave of warnings to users it believes were targeted by mercenary spyware. According to TechCrunch, the company started sending out its latest round of notifications to users in 110 countries on Thursday. Additionally, an unusually large number of people have also reported receiving the alerts over the weekend. In a support page published last week, Apple described mercenary spyware attacks as highly sophisticated campaigns backed by “exceptional resources” that target a small number of specific people and their devices. “Mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent,” the company wrote. Apple says these types of attacks have historically been tied to governments and utilize spyware from private companies like the NSO Group’s Pegasus. Targets of these attacks often include journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats. Apple says it has sent threat notifications several times a year since 2021 and has warned users in more than 150 countries. But this latest round appears to be on a different scale. Access Now, a digital rights group that Apple directs ta