Apple sends spyware warnings to users in 99 countries; Germany says lawmakers' iPhones may be compromised

Apple has sent a fresh round of threat notifications to iPhone users in 99 countries, warning them that they may have been targeted by so-called mercenary spyware, and the alerts have reached members of Germany's parliament and government.

The scale of the latest batch became known through a notice received by Beirut-based filmmaker Radwan Mortada, who shared it on X, according to TechCrunch and 9to5Mac. Mortada has said he was targeted by Pegasus spyware in earlier years.

Berlin takes warning seriously

Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said members of the Bundestag and other public figures had received Apple's alerts, which began arriving on October 29. In a letter to lawmakers, the agency advised that anyone who gets such a notification should assume the device may have been compromised.

Digital minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed that members of parliament and the federal government were among those warned, but did not say how many. Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told the Financial Times that Berlin was treating the incident very seriously; he did not say whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was targeted.

The Financial Times reported that the attackers appear to have used a zero-click flaw, which needs no action from the victim, and that officials consider the operation almost certainly state-backed. No attacker or spyware vendor has been publicly identified, and the BSI has said it does not know whether the alerts reflect successful hacks or only attempts.

Apple does not name the attackers behind its threat notifications or confirm whether a device was actually breached. It had not commented publicly on the latest wave.

What users are told to do

The BSI has urged recipients to update their software immediately, consider turning on Apple's Lockdown Mode, and, where the risk seems high, replace the device and reset passwords and accounts. It also warned that a genuine Apple alert never asks users to click links, install anything or share codes, a point worth noting as scammers often mimic such warnings.

Apple has not said which 99 countries were covered. Spyware that can silently read messages, track location and switch on cameras remains a concern for public figures and journalists worldwide.