Apple has issued threat notifications to members of Germany’s Bundestag and federal government officials, alerting them that their iPhones may have been targeted by sophisticated mercenary spyware. The warnings, sent on October 29, form part of a broader round of alerts that reached users in 99 countries worldwide.
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) confirmed over the weekend that several parliamentarians and other public figures received the manufacturer notifications. Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger publicly acknowledged the alerts, stating that Apple had indicated certain devices might have been compromised with so-called spyware. The BSI has advised recipients to assume their devices may no longer be secure and has urged those affected to contact the agency directly. On October 30, the office sent an information letter to Bundestag members outlining the risks and recommended protective steps.
Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Berlin is taking the incident and the warning very seriously and is investigating the circumstances. Officials have not disclosed how many people were notified or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among those targeted.
The BSI has emphasized that it does not yet know whether the notifications reflect actual compromises or merely attempted attacks. Recipients are typically advised to update their devices, consider enabling Lockdown Mode, and review other security settings. Similar Apple alerts have been issued periodically since 2021 to journalists, activists, politicians, and other high-profile individuals across more than 150 countries in total.
The German authorities continue to examine the notifications as part of their ongoing response to the potential targeting of public officials.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s threat notifications indicate that the company has detected a high-confidence attempt to use mercenary spyware against a specific individual. These commercial tools, often sold to state actors, can extract messages, location data, and other sensitive information. Many such attacks rely on zero-click exploits that require no action from the victim, such as opening a link or file. Apple does not confirm whether an attack succeeded and does not attribute the activity to any particular government or operator.
Apple’s Lockdown Mode is available in iOS 16 or later, iPadOS 16 or later, watchOS 10 or later, and macOS Ventura or later. Additional protections are available starting in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma. More info about Lockdown Mode here.
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The irony needs pointing out here. The EU, which Germany is a part of. Are trying to water down Apple security and open Apple ecosystem to 3rd parties. Meanwhile, Apple are having to advise German Govt that their iPhones have been targeted by malicious actors….