Several leaders of non-BJP parties and journalists have said that they have received a notification from Apple, saying that “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID ….”
TMC’s Mahua Moitra, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, AAP’s Raghav Chadha, Congress’ Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Khera, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, The Wire’s Siddharth Varadarajan, Deccan Chronicle’s Sriram Karri, and ORF’s Samir Saran are individuals who have been notified by Apple regarding attempts to compromise their iPhones.
The email titled “ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone” read, “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 mail urged the recipients.
“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,” read Moitra’s post on X.
“With imminent state assembly elections and the 2024 general elections not far off, the timing of these threat notifications is alarming. Public cynicism or judicial stupor should not preclude us from demanding an independent, transparent technical analysis and clear disclosures from the Government of India regarding its spyware purchases and deployments. This issue strikes at the heart of Indian democracy,” said Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF)’s founding director Apar Gupta.
Read the full text of Apar Gupta’s post on X about the recent alarms:
Multiple parliamentarians including @priyankac19 and @MahuaMoitra are making public statements regarding threat notifications by Apple. These threat notifications are due to state sponsored attacks that use spyware such as Pegasus to infect their smartphone.
As per Apple, “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. State-sponsored attacks are highly complex, cost millions of dollars to develop and often have a short shelf life….State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve over time. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete. It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected.”
Let me directly address the naysayers. Are these merely ‘false alarms’? Let’s consider the evidence:
Firstly, reports indicate that India has been a ground for deploying Pegasus spyware by NSO Group, an Israeli firm. In October, 2019, state attackers targeted activists, and in July, 2021 they extended their reach to public officials and journalists. The Union Government has not clearly denied these activities in the Supreme Court of India. Moreover, investigations by Amnesty, Citizen Lab, and notifications from WhatsApp corroborate its use, suggesting a pattern in India and a matching victim profile.
Secondly, Access Now and Citizen Lab last month have confirmed the validity of Apple’s threat notifications sent to Russian journalists, including Meduza’s publisher. These confirmations lend high credibility to such notifications.
Thirdly, Financial Times disclosed in March that India is seeking new spyware contracts starting at approximately $16 million and potentially escalating to $120 million in the next few years. These contracts involve companies like the Intellexa Alliance, recently featured in a report called ‘The Predator Files’.
With imminent state assembly elections and the 2024 general elections not far off, the timing of these threat notifications is alarming. Public cynicism or judicial stupor should not preclude us from demanding an independent, transparent technical analysis and clear disclosures from the Government of India regarding its spyware purchases and deployments. This issue strikes at the heart of Indian democracy.
