Apple Alerts Users in 100 Countries to Suspected Spyware Attacks

Apple has warned users in 100 countries that their iPhones may have been targeted by sophisticated spyware. Among those notified were Italian journalist Cyrus Pellegrino and Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek.

Pellegrino, who works for Fanpage, revealed in a column that he received Apple’s alert, which warned the attack likely targeted him “because of who you are or what you do.” His editor, Francesco Cancellato, was previously targeted with Paragon spyware after investigating far-right activity in Italy’s ruling party. Pellegrino suspects a link to similar Paragon-related surveillance disclosed by WhatsApp earlier this year.

Vlaardingerbroek shared her alert publicly, stating, “Someone is trying to intimidate me… It won’t work.”

Apple has been issuing these high-confidence threat alerts since 2021, warning users about commercial spyware campaigns believed to be run by state-linked or mercenary groups. In a recent blog post, Apple confirmed it has alerted users in more than 150 countries but refrains from naming attackers or countries involved.

Pellegrino described how the warning forced him to consider his phone a surveillance device. “From the moment it’s infected, they can see and hear everything,” he wrote, adding that these tools often require no user interaction to be activated.

Apple has not commented further on this wave of alerts, but says such attacks are “among the most advanced digital threats in existence.”