ISLAMABAD, November 5, 2026: Apple has issued security warnings to iPhone users in 99 countries over suspected sophisticated spyware attacks, raising concerns about targeted digital surveillance involving politicians, government officials, journalists and other high-profile individuals.
According to reports by TechCrunch and The Record, the latest round of threat notifications began appearing on October 29, alerting selected users that their devices may have been targeted by advanced spyware.
The US technology company has not publicly identified the attackers or disclosed how many devices, if any, were successfully compromised.
The reported scale of the warnings emerged after Lebanese filmmaker and journalist Ridwan Mortada received a notification referring to users across 99 countries.
In Germany, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) confirmed that members of parliament and other prominent individuals had received security alerts from Apple.
The German cybersecurity authority advised recipients to treat the warnings seriously and consider the possibility that their devices had been compromised.
Apple’s threat notifications are intended to alert individuals who may have been targeted by highly sophisticated surveillance operations. Such attacks can involve advanced techniques designed to gain unauthorised access to personal information, communications and other sensitive data.
However, receiving a threat notification does not necessarily confirm that spyware has successfully infected a device.
Security experts generally recommend that users receiving such alerts verify their authenticity through official Apple account channels, install the latest iOS security updates and seek specialist assistance if they believe their devices have been targeted.
The latest warnings highlight growing concerns over the use of sophisticated spyware against individuals whose professional activities or access to sensitive information may make them targets of surveillance.