Apple warns iPhone users in 92 countries about malware attack

In the warning, the company wrote, “Apple has detected that you have been targeted by a malicious attack that is attempting to remotely take control of an iPhone associated with Apple ID -xxx-.”

“Malware for hire” is how Apple refers to government-sponsored malware attacks on enemy nations.

The company said that while it cannot be 100% certain of identifying the attacks, the warning is well-founded and recommends that users take it “seriously.”

Since 2021, the iPhone maker has been sending out these notifications multiple times a year to warn users in more than 150 countries and territories about threats.

Last October, Apple sent a similar warning to several journalists and politicians in India. Amnesty International later announced that it had found NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware on the iPhones of prominent journalists in the country.

Spyware alerts are often sent out as countries prepare to hold elections. Recently, many technology companies said they have recorded activities aimed at influencing election results in a number of countries.

“We can’t provide additional information about why we’re sending you this notification, as doing so could help malicious attackers adjust their behavior to avoid detection in the future,” Apple said in a statement.

According to the Apple support page, warning messages will be sent to users in two ways: On the AppleID account (the message appears at the top of the page after the user logs in), or sent by email and iMessage (by phone number) linked to the AppleID.

There are currently no records of iPhone users in Vietnam receiving the above warning message.