BENGALURU - Apple has warned its users in India and 91 other countries that they were possible victims of a “mercenary spyware attack”, according to a threat notification e-mail sent to targeted users.

The company discovered that attackers tried to “remotely compromise the iPhone”, Apple said in the notification e-mail seen by Reuters.

Mercenary spyware attacks are rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cyber-criminal activity or malware, according to the notification e-mail.

The iPhone maker has sent threat notifications such as these multiple times a year since 2021, the notification e-mail said, adding that it has notified users in more than 150 countries in total to date.

In October 2023, some Indian lawmakers shared screenshots on social media of a notification quoting the iPhone manufacturer as saying: “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID.”

The company had then said it did not attribute the threat notifications to “any specific state-sponsored attacker”. REUTERS