As many as five Opposition lawmakers, on Tuesday, took to social media platform 'X' to disclose warning alerts they received from Apple suspecting "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones.
According to reports, TMC's Mahua Moitra, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi and AAP’s Raghav Chadha, Congress leader Shahi Tharoor and AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi say they have received similar alerts from Apple and have flagged the potential security breach via social media.
CPI(M)general secretary Sitaram Yechury also received a similar message.
The alert on MP Mahua Moitra's handle read, "State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone- Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID."
"If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data communications, camera or even microphones. While it's possible it is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously," the alert read.
"Received text and email from Apple warning me that the government trying to hack into my phone and email. @HMOIndia -- get a life. Adani and PMO bullies - your fear makes me pity you," Moitra said sharing the screenshots.
Tagging Chaturvedi to the post, she claimed that three other leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance have received similar messages.
Chaturvedi also shared a similar screenshot which she claimed to have received from Apple and said, "Wonder who? Shame on you. Cc: @HMOIndia for your kind attention."
Replying to Moitra's post, she said, "So not just me but also @MahuaMoitra has received this warning from Apple. Will @HMOIndia investigate?"
Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor also shared a post about him receiving a similar message. "Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expense of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?" he said on X, tagging the Prime Minister's Office, the Congress, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
Observer Researcher Foundation (ORF) president Samir Saran and journalists Siddharth Vardarajan and Sriram Karri the Resident Editor of Deccan Chronicle also said that they had received similar notifications from Apple.
PTI reached out to Apple for comments on the matter but there was no immediate response.
State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve.
An Apple notification also read, "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."
However, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), an India-based digital rights and liberties advocacy group, says these allegations cannot be called "false alarms."
"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 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 confirmed the validity of Apple's threat notifications sent to Russian journalists, including Meduza's publisher. These confirmations lend high credibility to such notifications," IFF founding director Apar Gupta wrote on 'X'.
"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'," says Apar Gupta.
This is a developing story
(With additional inputs from PTI)