Govt using ‘spyware’ to target my phone, says Venugopal

This comes days after Iltija Mufti, daughter of former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti said she had received an Apple threat notification saying her iPhone could have been attacked by “mercenary spyware”, such as the NSO Group’s Pegasus.

Venugopal shared a screenshot of the notification, which read: “You are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID… Today’s notification is being sent to targeted users in 98 countries, and to date we have notified users in over 150 countries in total”.

In his post on X, Venugopal said: “Thank you PM Modiji for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also! Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours!”

Mercenary spyware attacks, such as those using Pegasus from the NSO Group, are exceptionally rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware, the alert read.

“Apple previously sent you a notification on October 30, 2023. This is not a repeat notice – it is to inform you that we detected another attack against your device,” the screenshot read.