Apple Faces Spyware Alert From Centre, CERT-In Offers Voluntary Device Checks: Report
Cybersecurity specialists say the renewed alerts highlight both the severity of such attacks and the possibility of opportunistic misuse.
- India's IT Ministry seeks answers from Apple on spyware alerts.
- CERT-In advises users to update devices and seek support.
- This follows similar alerts and government inquiries in 2023.
The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) has issued a notice to Apple after the company sent out another round of “mercenary spyware” threat alerts to users in India.
What Are These Alerts About?
According to a Moneycontrol report, MeitY issued a notice to Apple as the firm has issued a fresh alert to iPhone users after detecting attempts to target them with spyware, sending cyber threat notifications to individuals across at least 80 countries.
Apple’s latest cyber threat notifications, issued when the company detects attacks involving mercenary spyware, were accompanied by a similar alert from Google.
While the firm has not revealed how many users were targeted by these attacks, Apple told Reuters that users have been identified in "over 150 countries in total."
Apple is yet to give an official comment on this.
CERT-In Offers Checks
The development comes as the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) released a public advisory urging users to update their devices and inviting those who received the alert to seek technical support from the agency at submitmobile@cert-in.org.in.
In its December 5 advisory, CERT-In stated: “Any user who has received such notification and wish to get their Apple devices examined/ benefit from the technical assistance are requested to kindly reach out to CERT-In via email: submitmobile@cert-in.org.in.”
Apple and Google had issued threat notifications globally on December 2 and 3, warning individuals who may have been targeted by state-linked spyware.
Cybersecurity specialists say the renewed alerts highlight both the severity of such attacks and the possibility of opportunistic misuse.
Previous Such Threats
This is not the first time Apple’s threat warnings have prompted government action. In 2023, MeitY asked the company for an explanation after several opposition politicians and journalists reported receiving similar notifications. Apple subsequently met MeitY and CERT-In, clarifying that its alerts were based on internal threat indicators rather than being attributed to any government entity.
CERT-In’s current advisory (CIAD-2025-0048) notes that Apple has detected attempts to remotely compromise devices associated with targeted users’ Apple IDs. The agency has strongly recommended that users install the latest iOS update (26.1), update messaging and cloud apps, enable Lockdown Mode and remain cautious about suspicious prompts.
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