Apple Will Inform iPhone Users When They're Targets Of State-Sponsored Hacking
After filing a lawsuit against Israel's NSO Group for using Pegasus spyware to snoop on iPhone users, Apple will now let users know when they're being spied on by their governments.
Anytime your iPhone is being attacked by "state-sponsored hackers," Apple will now send you an emergency notification. Called "Apple threat notifications," - the feature will inform users when they're being hacked with follow up advice on next steps.
How does it work?
Every time your iPhone becomes a victim of state-sponsored attacks (the same terminology used by Apple to refer to Pegasus), Apple will send you an email and an iMessage notification in addition to a ping on Apple's website.
State-sponsored hacking is essentially your government trying to break into your device especially if you're a public figure or a critique of the state. Outside countries may also use the tool to target you. Most state-sponsored hacking is performed against vulnerable folks in the public light.
Also read:?How Apple's Video iPod Unknowingly Saved 'The Office' Show From Getting Cancelled
On its support page, Apple mentions how users who may be targeted by such attacks because of "who they or what they do" while adding that a "vast majority of users" would never face such attacks.
"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 support page mentions.
Also read:?Apple Sues NSO Group For Hacking Into iPhones With 'Pegasus' Spyware
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Citation
Griffin, A. (2021, November 25). Apple to send emergency notifications to people’s iPhones when they are being spied on by governments. The Independent.?
