Germany Warns Officials of Mercenary Spyware Targeting iPhones
The German government warned lawmakers and officials that their iPhones may have been targeted by government-backed mercenary spyware following threat notifications from Apple.
The Federal Government of Germany is warning politicians and public figures that their iPhones may have been targeted by government-backed mercenary spyware. The alerts follow threat notifications sent by Apple to users in 99 countries, including members of the Bundestag. Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed that these notifications began reaching affected devices on October 29.
Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) issued written warnings to the affected individuals, advising them to assume their devices may have been compromised. The BSI noted that such spyware often utilizes zero-click exploits to steal sensitive data invisibly. While Apple's alerts did not specify if any of the attempted attacks were successful, the BSI urged recipients to take precautions.
Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius stated that Berlin is taking the incident and the warning very seriously. However, the government has not disclosed the specific number of targeted officials or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among those affected. Apple has not attributed the attacks to a specific government, but the incident highlights the continued use of mercenary spyware by state actors against political figures and civil society.
