Several MPs from the Opposition parties post on X the message from the iPhone manufacturer which does not identify the 'state'.
Published Oct 31, 2023 | 1:12 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 31, 2023 | 5:44 PM
Several Opposition MPS received alerts that their phones were under attack. (iStock)
iPhone manufacturer Apple has alerted a string of first-ranking Opposition leaders of the country about a “state-sponsored attack” on their phones.
The “state” is not identified. No details are given about the mode of the attack, whether through spyware, malware, or something else. The Union government response is awaited.
Members of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM, Mahua Moitra of Trinamool Congress, and Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena, have said through posts on X that they have received the Apple alert.
Telangana state Congress chief A Revanth Reddy also posted saying he was a target.
Fighting for people, for justice and to ensure their rights is our sole priority in @INCIndia
We have been fighting for people of Telangana without compromise.
The illegal hacking of our phones using spyware is a breach of privacy, human dignity and political rights.
But… pic.twitter.com/3oKYrXeAox
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) October 31, 2023
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said in a long post that he had received a “concerning notification from Apple” warning him about a potential state-sponsored spyware attack on his phone.
While Tharoor’s response was understated, the others sought to blame the government.
Pawan Khera, the Congress party’s media and public department head, and Samir Saran, president of the think tank Observer Research Foundation, also posted on the social media website.
Received an Apple Threat Notification last night that attackers may be targeting my phone
ḳhuub parda hai ki chilman se lage baiThe haiñ
saaf chhupte bhī nahīñ sāmne aate bhī nahīñ pic.twitter.com/u2PDYcqNj6— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) October 31, 2023
This is the first serious phone-targeting scare since the Pegasus affair broke in 2021 when an international consortium of journalists claimed that the Israeli-manufactured, military-grade spyware to surveil targets through phones was found active in the cell phones of Indian journalists, critics of the government, and Opposition leaders.
The screenshots on X of these leaders show the same message from Apple warning of the attack. Apple has not yet officially responded to these reports.
The text of the Apple message says: “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone. While it’s possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously.”
Tharoor’s X handle says: “Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expense of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?”
He tagged the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Congress party, Congress president and Rahul Gandhi in his post.
Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?@PMOIndia @INCIndia @kharge @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/5zyuoFmaIa
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 31, 2023
Mahua Moitra’s post reads: “Received text and email from Apple warning me that the government trying to hack into my phone and email. @HMOIndia — get a life. Adani and PMO bullies — your fear makes me pity you.”
Tagging Chaturvedi to the post, she claimed that three other leaders of the Opposition INDIA alliance have received similar messages.
Chaturvedi also shared a similar screenshot from Apple, saying, “Wonder who? Shame on you. Cc: @HMOIndia for your kind attention”.
Responding to the post of Moitra, Chaturvedi remarked: “So not just me but also @MahuaMoitra has received this warning from Apple. Will @HMOIndia investigate?”
Khera’s X post says: “Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?”
Received text & email from Apple warning me Govt trying to hack into my phone & email. @HMOIndia – get a life. Adani & PMO bullies – your fear makes me pity you. @priyankac19 – you, I , & 3 other INDIAns have got it so far . pic.twitter.com/2dPgv14xC0
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 31, 2023
Samir Saran posted on X, saying, “Was notified by Apple late last night that my iPhone linked to my Apple ID is being targeted … I have implemented the on-device remedial measures suggested by Apple and am reaching out to experts as well.”
Responding to a media organisation’s post on X about the reason for the Apple message that “malware attack and Apple algorithm malfunction led to these messages”, Chaturvedi posted, “Funny that only Opposition got the memo of surveillance, even the algorithm was selective in its choice! What a joke of an excuse!”
The ruling BJP and opposition parties indulged in a slanging match over the Apple attack alert.
The BJP said that the allegations against the government in the case were “baseless and false”. Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said rather than blame the government, the opposition leaders should check with Apple and file FIRs. Prasad said: “It is for Apple to clarify. They should file an FIR if they have any problem. Who is stopping them?”
Referring to the attack warnings, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed the government was indulging in “distraction politics” on the Adani issue. “We are not scared. You can do as much (phone) tapping as you want, I don’t care. If you want to take my phone, I will give it to you…,” he said, alleging: “The hierarchy in the country is No. 1 Adani, No. 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and No. 3 Amit Shah.”
Responding to the controversy, Apple Inc issued a statement saying that it does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker. It pointed out that state-sponsored attackers are “very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve over time”.
The statement explained Apple’s version of what might have happened: “Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete. It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected.”
It said that it could not say what triggered the warnings, but added: “We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future.”
It is being said that Apple may have sent similar threat notifications to people in nearly 150 countries. No other details are available at this point.
