Hackers target devices of German lawmakers and officials
Apple has warned iPhone users that they may have been singled out by Mercenary spyware, and Germany's cyber agency has contacted those affected.
Hackers targeted devices used by German lawmakers and government officials, Digital Affairs Minister Karsten Wildberger said on Sunday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Wildberger told the public broadcaster ARD that the alert came from Apple, which had warned that some devices may have been infected with spyware.
The Federal Office for Information Security, known as BSI, quickly contacted everyone affected by letter, Wildberger said.
Letters cited by ARD said iPhones had been receiving Apple warnings since Oct. 29 about an attack involving spyware called Mercenary.
The BSI said it had no further details on the cause of the alerts or who was behind them.
Apple says such warnings mean a person was specifically targeted, but they do not show whether the intrusion worked.
The BSI advised recipients to treat their devices as possibly compromised for now, as a precaution.
Wildberger gave no further specifics but said he was concerned by the reports.
Spyware secretly collects or monitors a user's data or activity without their knowledge, often sending it to third parties, and can be installed by exploiting software flaws or through deceptive methods.
The BSI warned that such tools could give attackers access to messages, including those in encrypted apps, as well as calls, contacts, calendars and location data, and could switch on the microphone and camera.
