Apple has notified a number of individuals that their devices were targeted in a spyware campaign, according to the French government.
France’s national cybersecurity response unit said on Thursday[1] that it was aware that Apple on September 3 sent a new notification to affected customers whose Apple devices may have been hacked.
The cybersecurity unit said receiving a threat notification means that at least one of the devices linked to a customer’s iCloud account “has been targeted and would be potentially compromised.”
It’s unclear how many individuals, including in France, received the September 3 threat notification, which spyware was used, or when the intrusions began.
An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s inquiries.
Apple periodically notifies[2] victims that their devices were targeted and advises victims to seek help from Access Now’s digital security lab[3]. Most recently, Apple has notified victims in Iran[4], across Europe[5], India[6], and dozens of other countries of mercenary spyware attacks.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron reportedly switched phones in 2021[7] after his phone was targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.
References
- ^ said on Thursday (cert.ssi.gouv.fr)
- ^ periodically notifies (techcrunch.com)
- ^ Access Now’s digital security lab (techcrunch.com)
- ^ victims in Iran (techcrunch.com)
- ^ across Europe (techcrunch.com)
- ^ India (techcrunch.com)
- ^ reportedly switched phones in 2021 (www.bbc.com)