Opposition leaders claim hacking attempts, share alert received on iPhones
Multiple opposition MPs, including Shashi Tharoor of the Congress, Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena, and Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM, have alleged that they received messages from Apple warning of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their phones. Sources have revealed that three people in Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s office also received similar messages. Government sources have stated that they are monitoring the situation, and it is known that threat detection on iPhones is not always foolproof.
According to Apple, these notifications are triggered when their systems detect “activity consistent with a state-sponsored attack.” However, the manufacturer has not yet responded to this particular situation.
The MPs mentioned above shared screenshots of the messages they received earlier today. Mahua Moitra, a Trinamool MP, claimed that other politicians, including Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Raghav Chadha of the Aam Aadmi Party, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, and Pawan Khera of the Congress, also received warnings of hacking attempts.
Chaturvedi expressed her discontent by writing, “Wonder who? Shame on you…” and copying Union Home Minister Amit Shah in her tweet.
Shashi Tharoor, in a jibe at the government, said that he had verified the email from threat-notifications@apple.com. He also questioned the government’s priorities, stating, “Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?”
Similar to Tharoor, other MPs, including Pawan Khera, tagged Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offices, calling for an investigation into the alleged hacking attempt. Chadha, an AAP Rajya Sabha MP, criticized the attack as a threat to the democratic interests of the country, stating, “…Every Indian needs to be worried. Because today it is me, tomorrow it could be YOU.”
The Apple notification warned that these attackers are likely targeting individuals due to their identity or profession. It highlighted the possibility of remote access to sensitive data, communications, as well as the camera and microphone of compromised devices. Apple urged users to take the warning seriously, despite the chance of it being a false alarm.
Amit Malviya, the BJP’s IT Cell boss, responded swiftly to the allegations and criticized the “usual suspects” for raising a storm over the “state-sponsored” attack. He questioned why they couldn’t wait for Apple to clarify the situation and accused them of using the opportunity to create outrage.
It remains to be seen how Apple will respond to these claims.
