Apple sends hacking alerts, Opposition leader claims government's involvement

Multiple political leaders have alleged that their Apple devices have been the victim of alleged hacking. The leaders shared the screenshot of the warning received on their Apple devices.

The leaders alleged that the government was behind this attempt to breach their devices.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor posted on X and said "Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expense of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do? @PMOIndia @INCIndia @kharge @RahulGandhi."

Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?@PMOIndia @INCIndia @kharge @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/5zyuoFmaIa

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 31, 2023

Another Congress leader and party spokesperson Pawan Khera posted the warning sign screenshot on X where he said "Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?"

The alleged hacking warning by Apple as shared by these leaders reads "State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone."

TMC leader Mahua Moitra who is being probed by the Parliament Ethics Committee over her role in the alleged 'Cash for Query scam' also posted on X and said, "Received text and email from Apple, warning me Government trying to hack into my phone and email. @HMOIndia- get a life...."

Received text & email from Apple warning me Govt trying to hack into my phone & email. @HMOIndia - get a life. Adani & PMO bullies - your fear makes me pity you. @priyankac19 - you, I , & 3 other INDIAns have got it so far . pic.twitter.com/2dPgv14xC0

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 31, 2023

Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, Priyanka Chaturvedi also acknowledged gettin the warning from Apple support. In her post on X she claimed "So not just me but also@MahuaMoitrahas received this warning from Apple. Will@HMOIndiainvestigate?"

As per the Apple website support page, Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers.

Apple says, these users are individually targeted because of who they are or what they do. Unlike traditional cybercriminals, state-sponsored attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices, which makes these attacks much harder to detect and prevent.

According to Apple, State-sponsored attacks are highly complex, cost millions of dollars to develop and often have a short shelf life. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks.

Apple says if it discovers activity consistent with a state-sponsored attack, they will notify the targeted users in two ways. A Threat Notification will be displayed at the top of the page after the user has signed in to appleid.apple.com. Additionally, Apple will send an email and iMessage notification to the email addresses and phone numbers associated with the user's Apple ID.