Opposition leaders slam government over 'Apple alert on phone hacking attempt'

Several Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), including Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamool Congress' Mahua Moitra, and Congress' Pawan Khera and Shashi Tharoor, received a warning from Apple on October 31. The message, which appeared on their iPhones, cautioned that 'state-sponsored attackers may be targeting' their devices.

The message read, “ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone,” the message received by MPs from “threat-notifications@apple.com” 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.”

“Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?” wrote Shashi Tharoor.

Sharing a screenshot of the same, Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote, “Wonder who? Shame on you.Cc: @HMOIndia for your kind attention.”

Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra wrote, “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.”

An Apple support document published on the company’s website in August, 2023 mentions, “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 read.

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