Apple flags 'state-sponsored attackers'; govt asks iPhone maker to join probe

Several opposition leaders on Tuesday said they received an alert from Apple warning them of 'state-sponsored attackers' trying to remotely compromise their iPhones.

Following the alert by Apple, the opposition accused the ruling party of snooping. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and Congress MP Shahi Tharoor took to X to raise their concerns.

"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," the alert shared by the two leaders said.

However, the government has denied any role and asked the iPhone maker to join its probe.

"We are concerned by the statements we have seen in media from some MPs as well as others about a notification received by them from Apple. The notification received by them as per media reports mentions about 'state-sponsored attacks' on their devices. However much of information by Apple on this issue seems vague and non-specific in nature. Apple states these notifications maybe based on information which is 'incomplete or imperfect'. It also states that some Apple threat notifications maybe false alarms or some attacks are not detected," says Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

"Apple has also claimed that Apple IDs are securely encrypted on devices, making it extremely difficult to access or identify them without the user's explicit permission. This encryption safeguards the user's Apple ID and ensures that it remains private and protected. The Government of Bharat takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications. In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state sponsored attacks," Vaishnaw wrote on X.

Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers. According to Apple, 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. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks, the tech giant says.

"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. We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future," says Apple.