Apple warns people in 99 countries of spyware targeting

Apple has warned targeted individuals in 99 countries about a sophisticated mercenary spyware campaign aimed at iPhone users, with researchers confirming the legitimacy of the alerts but noting that initial forensic event logs do not yield definitive attribution signatures. The report stresses that the sponsors behind these global digital espionage efforts remain unidentified at this stage.

The disclosures centre on journalists and other high‑profile figures who have previously experienced device compromises, with examples including Ragip Soylu, bureau chief at Middle East Eye, who received three separate warnings in 2026, and Lebanese documentary filmmaker Radwan Mortada, who has also faced intrusion notifications.

The piece notes Mortada’s prior experiences with zero‑click Pegasus intrusions in 2017 and 2021, highlighting the elevated risk to confidential journalistic sources from silent exploits that require no user interaction. Investigators also point to timing concerns around Mortada’s targeting, linked in part to a documentary on the September 2024 pager explosions, though no direct technical link between the physical and digital attacks has been established.

The article details protective guidance from Apple, including enabling Lockdown Mode and verifying alert authenticity via the Apple Account, with independent security evaluations cited as showing Lockdown Mode mitigates advanced zero‑click payloads. It also references Apple’s threat notification guidance and a BSI advisory on defending against mercenary spyware.

The image caption cites vulnerabilities around maritime transponders—CVEs CVE-2026-59769 and CVE-2026-67578—illustrating the breadth of zero‑day exploit activity discussed in the piece. The reporting attributes claims to Apple, threat researchers, investigative outlets such as the Financial Times and Middle East Eye, and to official advisories rather than speculative attribution.