Apple implores iPhone users in 98 countries to take worrying news seriously

Apple has been sending notifications like these since 2021 and users in 150 countries have received them so far. The last we saw similar notifications was not too long ago in April, when users in 92 countries were warned about a mercenary spyware attack.

A mercenary spyware attack allows hackers to remotely access a victim's sensitive data and messages. It can even let hackers gain access to someone's camera or microphone.

On its website, Apple notes that such attacks "target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices," and "the vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks."

The attacks are often state-sponsored and are made possible by sophisticated surveillance technologies, such as the Pegasus spyware developed by NSO Group. NSO Group was sued in 2021 by Apple for targeting its users by breaking into their devices and installing Pegasus on them.

Such attacks usually target influential or high-profile individuals such as activists, journalists, academics, politicians, dissidents, and government officials.

The identities of the people who the attackers were after this time around or their locations have not been revealed, with Apple explaining that releasing additional information may help attackers evade detection in the future.

The company also says that though it's not absolutely certain that the individuals it has identified were attacked, it's fairly confident that that was the case. The company has also urged the affected users to take the warning seriously.

The company has created a feature called Lockdown Mode that can be enabled to safeguard against such attacks. When it's enabled, your device won't function like it usually does. That's cause in Lockdown Mode, certain apps, features, and websites are severely limited to make it harder for cybercriminals to attack you.