INTEL: Germany warns politicians their iPhones may be hacked by spyware after Apple alerts
Germany’s federal cybersecurity agency, the BSI, has told members of the Bundestag and government ministers to assume their iPhones may be compromised, after Apple sent spyware warnings to some devices. Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed the alerts on 1 November. The number of people affected and the party behind the attack are still unknown.
Wildberger said in a television interview that Apple had warned that some devices may have been compromised by spyware. The FT reported the government warning to politicians.
What the BSI letter says
A BSI letter seen by German media says the Apple alerts began on 29 October and refer to “mercenary spyware”. The agency advises recipients to treat their phones as potentially compromised. Its reasoning is that Apple’s alerts do not show whether an attack actually succeeded.
No official has named a specific exploit, vulnerability or attacker. It is also not known how many politicians or officials received the alerts.
Alerts went beyond Germany
The German warnings are part of a wider round of notifications. Apple’s alerts also reached users in 99 countries.
The BSI’s advice to assume compromise, rather than wait for confirmation, reflects the limit of the alerts themselves. They tell a user that a device may have been targeted, but not whether the intrusion worked.
