Govt sends notice to Apple over spyware alerts; CERT-In offers voluntary device checks for affected users

Cybersecurity experts say the escalation reflects both the seriousness of these attacks and the risks of opportunistic misuse.

The ministry of electronics and information technology has sent a notice to Apple after the company issued a new round of “mercenary spyware” threat notifications to users in India, sources told Moneycontrol.

The move comes even as the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a public advisory urging users to update their devices and asking anyone who received the alert and wants technical assistance to contact the agency at submitmobile@cert-in.org.in.

"Any user who has received such notification and wish to get their Apple devices examined/ benefit from the technical assistance are requested to kindly reach out to CERT-In via email: submitmobile@cert-in.org.in," said the CERT-In advisory from December 5.

On December 2 and 3, Google and Apple sent threat notifications to affected users worldwide. These companies alert users who may have been targeted by State-backed spyware.

Cybersecurity experts say the escalation reflects both the seriousness of these attacks and the risks of opportunistic misuse.

Meghna Bal, director at Esya Centre, said that the spread of commercial spyware “weakens global and domestic cybersecurity”, noting that hostile actors can exploit the same vulnerabilities used by mercenary surveillance tools.

"Unfortunately, these attacks are likely to become more frequent and sophisticated going forward. Ideally, governments should try to come to some sort of understanding on non-proliferation of such attacks - but it is naive to expect something like this from happening. It highlights the necessity for governments to work to become more proactive in their threat prevention, and collaborate more closely with industry for threat intelligence," Bal said.

This is not the first time Apple’s threat notifications have triggered official action. In 2023, MeitY sought a clarification from Apple after several opposition politicians and journalists reported receiving similar alerts.

Apple later met MeitY and CERT-In, stating that its notifications were based on internal threat signals and not attributed to any government.

CERT-In’s advisory (CIAD-2025-0048) states that Apple has warned users of attempts to remotely compromise their devices linked to their Apple IDs. The agency has “strongly” advised users to:

• Install the latest iOS update (26.1)
• Update messaging and cloud applications
• Enable Lockdown Mode
• Stay alert to suspicious prompt

Moneycontrol has reached out to Apple with queries regarding the matter and the article will be updated when a response is received.