Apple has sent notifications to several individuals worldwide, alerting them that they were targeted with government spyware. The company has previously issued similar warnings, directing victims to nonprofits specializing in cybersecurity. Tech giants like Google and WhatsApp have also been sending such alerts in recent years.
As of Wednesday, only two individuals have publicly acknowledged receiving Apple’s notifications. One of them is Ciro Pellegrino, an Italian journalist for Fanpage. Pellegrino reported that he received an email and text from Apple, informing him of the spyware attack and mentioning that “affected users in 100 countries” were being notified. Pellegrino assured that the alert was genuine, stating, “Did this really happen? Yes, it is not a joke.”
The second recipient is Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a Dutch right-wing activist. She shared a screenshot of Apple’s alert on X, which warned her of a mercenary spyware attack targeting her iPhone. The notification stated that Apple was confident about the attack, advising her to take the warning seriously. Vlaardingerbroek responded by calling it an “attempt to intimidate me,” further claiming it was meant to silence her.
It’s unclear which specific spyware campaign prompted Apple’s notifications. Apple had previously notified users across multiple countries last year about similar threats, though no details about the campaigns were provided.
Notably, this marks the second time this year that an Italian journalist has been notified about being targeted. In February, WhatsApp informed Francesco Cancellato, a colleague of Pellegrino, that spyware from Paragon Solutions, an Israeli company, had been used to attack his device. Citizen Lab, a digital rights organization, is investigating these attacks.
Pellegrino’s case adds to a growing list of Italian victims of spyware, with reports linking it to Paragon Solutions.
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