Apple Alert: Oppn leaders claim 'state-sponsored' attack

New Delhi: Several opposition leaders on Tuesday claimed they received an alert from Apple warning them of "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones and alleged hacking by the government, a charge IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw rejected but assured a thorough probe.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra shot off a missive to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, raising concerns over the issue and demanding action.

Raising the issue at a press conference here, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Modi government. "We are not scared. You can do as much (phone) tapping as you want, I don't care. If you want to take my phone, I will give it to you..," he said. "The hierarchy in the country is: No. 1 – Adani, No. 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and No. 3 Amit Shah... Narendra Modi's soul is with Adani. The truth is that power is in the hands of someone else,” said.

Opposition leaders accused the government of attacking democracy. "Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?". Tharoor said. At an event in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, "It is a matter of regret that in a democracy, freedom and privacy is being harmed." PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged that targeting AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and TMC MP Moitra are signs of the BJP's nervousness about the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "Perhaps the BJP's vicious communal propaganda won't work anymore which is why they are throwing most opposition leaders behind bars on trumped up charges," Mufti posted on X.

Govt will probe: Vaishnaw

IT Minister Vaishnaw rejected the opposition's attack on the government, saying the "compulsive critics" were indulging in the politics of "distraction" as they could not tolerate the country's progress under the PM's leadership. He, however, assured the government "will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications". "In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state-sponsored attacks," the minister said in a post on X.

Apple advisory in 15 nations: MoS IT

MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said similar "threat notifications" were sent to people in over 150 countries by Apple. "Our government is committed and duty bound to protect privacy of our citizens and we take this responsibility very seriously. Government will investigate these threat notifications and also apples claims of being secure and privacy compliant devices," he posted on X.

We are not scared. You can do as much phone tapping as you want, I don't care. If you want to take my phone, I will give it to you...," — Rahul Gandhi

The Notification

"ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone. Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone. While it's possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously."

On Target

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, K C Venugopal, Supriya Shrinate, T S Singhdeo and Bhupinder S Hooda; Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chadha, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and some aides of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. 

May be false alarm: iPhone-maker

iPhone-maker Apple Inc reacted to the claims of Opposition leaders, saying it is possible that some threat notifications may be false alarms and some attacks may not be detected. It, however, refused to say what triggered warnings received by opposition leaders. "Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete.

It's possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected. We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behavior to evade detection in the future," it said.