Apple sends new spyware-attack notifications to users in 110 countries

Apple has sent out a new batch of notifications to customers it suspects have been targeted with spyware capable of hacking into their devices. The company sends these notifications occasionally to alert iPhone, iPad, or Mac users that their devices might have been compromised with spyware typically used by governments. Apple told TechCrunch it sent the latest notifications on Thursday to users targeted in 110 countries, and that it has now notified customers in more than 150 countries in total — an indication of how far government-used spyware has spread. Spyware attacks are generally rare, but the proliferation of this surveillance technology in recent years has allowed governments to abuse it and deploy it against critics, including members of civil society.

According to a new support article, Apple notifies affected users directly on their iPhone lock screen with a push notification urging them to take action, as well as by email and when they log into their account. Apple told TechCrunch it has updated the experience to make it easier for recipients to find what to do next. The notification itself reads: “Apple detected a mercenary spyware attack targeted at your iPhone. There are actions you can take now to protect your data and device.”

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at digital research group Citizen Lab, first flagged the latest batch of notifications in a thread on X. Anyone who receives one should take it seriously, he said — it may not mean a device was successfully hacked, but recipients should still act quickly to protect it, including turning on Lockdown Mode, a security feature Apple says has never failed to stop a spyware attack when enabled. Scott-Railton described the update as a major improvement since Apple introduced spyware alerts in 2021, noting that such alerts often prompt people to seek help and can kick off investigations that surface far more cases — pointing to Poland’s scandal over the former government’s use of spyware against its political rivals as one example that might otherwise have gone undiscovered.

Why it matters

Spyware notifications remain one of the few concrete signals that surveillance tools sold to governments are being used against ordinary people, journalists, and civil society — and Apple’s expanding reach, now covering over 150 countries, suggests the problem keeps growing rather than shrinking.