Apple has issued threat notifications to select individuals who it believes may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. So far, two individuals have come forward to share that Apple warned them of these attacks on their devices. 

According to Apple’s statement on these notifications, it believes these attacks targeted specific individuals due to their status or occupation (such as politicians, journalists, activists, or diplomats). Such a narrow attack suggests association with state actors, as the complexity and cost elevates the incident above average cybercriminal activity or consumer malware. 

Mercenary spyware actors deploy a high amount of resources in order to focus on a small group of victims, and they typically have a short shelf life, making them challenging to detect and prevent. 

While most individuals will never be targeted by a mercenary spyware attack, these attacks are ongoing and global. Since 2021, Apple has sent similar notifications — several times per year — when other mercenary spyware attacks were detected. To date, the organization has notified individuals in more than 150 countries.