According to Apple, Mercenary Spyware is the most serious and advanced digital threat of today. In these attacks, hackers use incredible resources and money to target a specific person or group. Such operations cost millions of dollars to run and are extremely difficult to track or detect as they are activated for very short periods of time.
Who’s on Hackers’ Radar?
Citing cybersecurity researchers, journalists and official reports, Apple has made it clear that government agencies or powerful private companies could be behind the attacks. These spyware attacks are mainly targeted at high-profile figures such as journalists, politicians, social activists and diplomats. The main purpose of Apple’s security notifications is to warn such high-risk users in time.
Appeal to activate lockdown mode
If a user receives a threat notification from Apple, the company recommends immediately activating ‘lockdown mode’ in the iPhone. Apart from this, it is also said to take help of expert organizations like digital security helpline of non-governmental organization ‘Access Now’ if needed. Keeping the device updated with the latest software, using a strong passcode, Touch ID or Face ID, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) and activating the ‘Stolen Device Protection’ feature is essential as part of security.