People warned by Apple in 99 countries face the prospect that a compromised phone could expose their messages, calls, contacts, calendars, location data, camera and microphone.
Apple said its alerts reflected activity consistent with targeted surveillance, while declining to identify who may be behind the attacks or confirm whether any recipient’s device was compromised. It remains unclear which government, if any, orchestrated the targeting.
On October 29, Apple notifications began reaching German iPhones, warning users that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware. German lawmakers and government officials began receiving the alerts last Thursday.
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security, known as the BSI, issued an urgent warning over the weekend and advised recipients to assume their devices were no longer secure. On October 30, the BSI sent members of the German Bundestag an information letter.
The German government said it was taking the incident very seriously and investigating the circumstances. Stefan Kornelius, the government spokesperson, declined to say whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among those affected.
Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger publicly confirmed the warnings on Sunday.
The reported attacks used a zero-click vulnerability, enabling a device to be compromised without any action from its user. Attackers needed only their target’s phone number.
Journalists and documentary filmmakers were also among those receiving the latest alerts. Radwan Mortada, a Beirut-based filmmaker, received one of Apple’s warnings after having previously been targeted by Pegasus spyware in 2017 and 2021.
Ragıp Soylu, a Turkey-based journalist, also reported receiving an Apple warning. He said it was the third such notification he had received this year.
Apple identifies journalists, civil society activists, politicians and diplomats as groups that have historically faced this kind of targeting. The company has issued similar alerts several times annually since 2021, reaching users in more than 150 countries altogether.
Apple has advised affected users to turn on Lockdown Mode, a setting that restricts certain device functions. The warnings indicate suspected targeted surveillance rather than proof that every alerted person’s device was successfully compromised.
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