According to reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent a notice to Apple after the company sent threat notifications about “spyware for rent” to users in India. Apple’s notice included warnings about commercially available spyware.
The move came after the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued a public advisory urging users to update their devices and asked anyone receiving the warning to contact the agency for technical support at submitmobile@cert-in.org.in. CERT-In’s advisory issued on December 5 said that users who have received such notifications and want to get their Apple devices checked or seek technical support should contact CERT-In via email.
Earlier, on December 2 and 3, Google and Apple had sent threat notifications to users around the world. The agency also advised users to be cautious and not to use outdated software. Apple and Google sent these alerts to users whose phones were targeted by powerful spyware. These companies alerted users who may be targets of state-sponsored spyware. Cyber security experts say that this government action shows the seriousness of this potential cyber attack and the grave danger of its misuse.
CERT-In has provided four tips for users to keep in mind:
Users should install iOS update (26.1)
Update messaging and cloud applications
Enable Lockdown Mode
Beware of Suspicious Prompts
This is not the first time that Apple’s threat notifications have led to official action. In 2023, MeitY sought clarification from Apple after several opposition politicians and journalists complained of receiving similar warnings.