Apple has sent a new wave of threat notifications to users in 99 countries, warning that they may have been targeted by sophisticated mercenary spyware.
German authorities are investigating reports that lawmakers and government officials were among those targeted, raising concerns about potential attacks against high-profile individuals.
The alerts began reaching German officials on October 29, according to reports from The Financial Times and TechCrunch. Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) subsequently issued an urgent warning, advising recipients to assume their devices may have been compromised.
German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said the government was taking the incident and Apple’s warning seriously and working to investigate the circumstances. He declined to disclose which officials had received the alerts or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among those affected.
The reported attacks involved a zero-click vulnerability, which can allow spyware to compromise a device without requiring the victim to click a link, open a file, or take any other action. According to the Financial Times, attackers reportedly needed only their targets’ phone numbers to carry out the attacks.
Apple periodically sends threat notifications to individuals it believes have been targeted by mercenary spyware. The company does not identify the suspected attackers or confirm whether an attack successfully compromised a device. However, its notifications are considered high-confidence warnings of potential targeting.
The latest alerts also reached people outside Germany. Beirut-based filmmaker and investigative journalist Radwan Mortada publicly shared his notification, saying he had previously been targeted by Pegasus spyware in 2017 and 2021. He said he did not know who was behind the latest attempt or whether it was connected to a documentary he directed.
The identity of the attackers and any government involvement remain unknown. Mercenary spyware is often developed by private companies and sold to governments and other customers for targeted surveillance. Such tools can potentially access messages, contacts, location data, and other sensitive information on compromised devices.
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Apple recommends that people who receive threat notifications take them seriously and seek expert assistance. The company also provides security guidance, including information about Lockdown Mode, for users who may face highly sophisticated digital threats.
