New Delhi: IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday that CERT-In has started its investigation in the Apple threat notification issue raised by opposition MPs, and a notice has been sent to the company, as reported by the news agency PTI. He hoped that Apple would cooperate with the investigation by CERT-In on the issue.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event related to the Meity-NSF research collaboration, Krishnan said, "CERT-In has started its probe... they (Apple) will cooperate in this probe," as quoted by PTI. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.
Asked if a notice has been sent to Apple, the IT Secretary answered in the affirmative.
Several opposition leaders on Tuesday claimed they have received an alert from Apple warning them of "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones and alleged hacking by the government. The charge was rejected by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw but assured a thorough probe.
Those who received such notifications included Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, K C Venugopal, Supriya Shrinate, T S Singhdeo and Bhupinder S Hooda; Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
This comes days after Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Viashnaw addressed a press conference after the opposition accused the government of "snooping" following an alert on their iPhone devices that "state-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone". Speaking on the issue, the minister said that a prone into the issue has been ordered as the government is serious and will get to the "bottom" of it.
"The government is concerned over the issue. We have already ordered an investigation and will get to the root of the issue. I would also like to add that there are some compulsive critics in the country who have a habit of criticising (the government) over every issue. They do not want the country's development," he said.