‘Unprecedented’ Number of Apple Users Received Recent Spyware Alert

Apple customers in 110 countries received threat notifications recently alerting them to suspected spyware attacks targeting their devices, TechCrunch reports. 

Senior researcher John Scott-Railton says that the “scale and geographic diversity of public posts about receiving notifications are pretty unprecedented.” 

“For every public notification like this, you can imagine there’s a huge notification iceberg that the public will never learn about. This is a clear indication that something bigger is going on.”

Apple debuted its spyware alerts in 2021, which Scott-Railton notes has been a “big improvement” for encouraging users to seek help. The notifications can also serve as a starting point for investigations that can reveal even more cases, especially as spyware has proliferated in recent years. 

Apple users that receive a notification should take it seriously, and are advised to switch on Lockdown Mode. Apple has yet to see a case where someone’s device was hacked while Lockdown Mode was enabled.