A controversy has emerged in India as leaders from various opposition parties claimed to have received alerts from Apple, warning them of potential hacking attempts into their iPhones by “state-sponsored” actors. The situation led to a political storm with responses from both the opposition and the ruling party.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party, attacked the Narendra Modi government about the alerts during a press conference, stating, “Do as much phone tapping as you want, I don’t care.” He stated that several people in his office, as well as leaders from different parties, had received the message and accused the government of attempting to distract the youth.
In response, Apple issued a statement clarifying that it “does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker.”
What Happened?
Several opposition MPs from different parties reported receiving alerts from Apple, warning them of potential hacking attempts on their iPhones. Prominent leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Akhilesh Yadav, Raghav Chadha, Sitaram Yechury, and Pawan Khera, shared their experiences on social media.
PM Narendra Modi’s party responds
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed the opposition’s concerns, stating that Apple should clarify the alerts sent to individuals, including opposition leaders. Ravi Shankar Prasad, a senior BJP leader, encouraged the MPs to take the matter up with Apple and file official reports.
The message sent by Apple warned recipients that “state-sponsored attackers may be targeting” their iPhones, emphasizing the potential risks associated with compromised devices.
This controversy has also extended beyond India, with political leaders in Uganda and individuals in approximately 150 countries reportedly receiving similar notifications.
Apple addresses the issue in an Official Statement
Following allegations of phone hacking by the opposition, the iPhone manufacturer released a statement clarifying, “Apple does not assign the threat notifications to any particular state-sponsored attacker.”
The statement went on to explain, “State-sponsored attackers are highly well-funded and sophisticated, and their tactics evolve continuously. Identifying such attacks relies on often imperfect and incomplete threat intelligence signals. It’s conceivable that certain Apple threat notifications could be erroneous alerts, or some attacks may go undetected. We cannot disclose the specifics that trigger these threat notifications, as it may assist state-sponsored attackers in adapting their methods to avoid detection.”
IT Minister Speaks Out
Speaking on the issue, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “The government is concerned about this issue and it will go to the bottom of it. There are some compulsive critics in the country. These people can’t see the development of the country because when their family was in power they only thought about themselves. Apple has issued this advisory in 150 countries…”
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