Apple has sent out a warning to iPhone users in 92 countries that their devices may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks.
The company said it detected the attacks and is advising affected customers to contact third-party experts for assistance.
Apple has sent out a warning to iPhone users in 92 countries that their devices may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. The company said it detected the attacks and is advising affected customers to contact third-party experts for assistance.
A terrifying and extremely advanced cyberattack has impacted iPhone users from at least 92 countries.
The extreme cost, sophistication and worldwide nature of mercenary spyware attacks makes them some of the most advanced digital threats in existence today.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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None Found At Time Of
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Bias
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The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the hackers by referring to them as 'mercenary spyware attackers' which implies they are immoral and unethical. This is an example of moral judgment without evidence or context, making it a form of religious bias.
The extreme cost, sophistication and worldwide nature of mercenary spyware attacks makes them some of the most advanced digital threats in existence today,
Apple detected that some iPhone users in 92 countries received a warning about being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack
`Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning – please take it seriously`
If you do get Apple➴s spyware notification, there aren't many options that are recommended. But Apple ➾strongly suggests➻ that users contact third-party experts
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'chill down your spine' and 'likely because of who you are', which creates a false sense of urgency and fear without providing any concrete evidence to support these claims. Secondly, the author quotes TechCrunch as their source for information about the spyware attack, but does not disclose that this is an unverified report. Thirdly, the article implies that Apple has high confidence in its warning without providing any specifics on how they arrived at this conclusion.
The article implies that Apple has high confidence in its warning without providing any specifics on how they arrived at this conclusion
The author quotes TechCrunch as their source for information about the spyware attack, but does not disclose that this is an unverified report
The author uses sensationalist language such as 'chill down your spine' and 'likely because of who you are'
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Apple has high confidence in the warning and that it is likely targeting specific users because of who they are or what they do. This statement implies that there is some sort of evidence behind this claim, but no such evidence is provided in the article. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by suggesting that if you get Apple's spyware notification, there are only two options: to contact third-party experts or not to take any action at all. This statement ignores other potential actions that users could take and presents a limited view of their options.
The warning that your phone may have been targeted in a spyware attack is sure to send a chill down your spine
Apple has sent out similar notifications in the past.
Bias
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The article contains examples of religious bias and ideological bias. The author uses language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable.
> The warning that your phone may have been targeted in a spyware attack is sure to send a chill down your spine especially if it's likely because of who you are. <br> This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do.
Site
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The article discusses a spyware attack on iPhones and the notifications that some users received. The author is Camilo Fonseca who has previously written about NSO Group.
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Apple
iPhone
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The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of spyware attacks targeting journalists and activists as they are mentioned in the article.
. The warning that your phone may have been targeted in a spyware attack is sure to send a chill down your spine especially if it's likely because of who you are. That's the warning that some iPhone users in 92 countries received on Wednesday, TechCrunch reported.
Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday
The notification did not disclose the attackers' identities or the countries where users received notifications.
Apple has high confidence in this warning and advises taking it seriously.
> Apple sends these kind of notifications multiple times a year and has notified users to such threats in over 150 countries since 2021.
The spyware alerts arrive at a time when many nations are preparing for elections.
Apple's alerts did not remark on their timing, but many tech firms have cautioned about rising state-sponsored efforts to sway certain electoral outcomes in recent months.
> Apple previously described the attackers as 'state-sponsored', but has replaced all such references with 'mercenary spyware attacksƔ
The warning to customers adds that mercenary spyware attacks are exceptionally rare and vastly more sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or consumer malware.
σ Apple relies solely on internal threat-intelligence information and investigations to detect such attacks.
Although our investigations can never achieve absolute certainty, Apple threat notifications are high-confidence alerts that a user has been individually targeted by a mercenary spyware attack and should be taken very seriously.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday at 12 p.m Pacific Time. However, this information is false as there are only a few countries where such alerts were sent and it was actually done earlier than stated.
Apple said it sent the alerts to individuals in 92 nations at 12 p.m Pacific Time Wednesday.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that Apple has high confidence in the warning and that it relies solely on internal threat-intelligence information and investigations to detect such attacks. This statement implies that Apple is a reliable source of information, but this assumption should not be taken for granted without further evidence.
Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday
The company said it sent the alerts to individuals in 92 nations at 12 p.m. Pacific Time Wednesday.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the attackers by referring to them as 'mercenary spyware attacks' which implies they are not legitimate actors but rather criminals who engage in illegal activities for money.
> Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them that they may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks. <br> The company said it sent the alerts to individuals in 92 nations at 12 p.m. Pacific Time Wednesday.
The notification, which TechCrunch has seen, did not disclose the attackers' identities or the countries where users received notifications.
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Conflicts
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None Found At Time Of
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Author
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Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of mercenary spyware attacks as they are reporting for TechCrunch which is owned by NSO Group. The article also mentions Pegasus, a product developed by NSO Group that was used to target journalists and politicians in India.
The author reports for TechCrunch, which is owned by NSO Group.
