Apple has been warning iPhone owners for some time now if they are suspected of being the target of a ‘mercenary’ spyware attack, advising them to contact the non-profit organization Access Now’s helpline. Anyone who receives a message from Apple can reach the Access Now helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Apple said on its own website. The tech company has now warned users in more than one hundred and fifty countries that they may have been targeted by spyware, such as Pegasus.
The Access Now helpline has more than thirty employees and has already processed more than 4,300 tickets this year, the organization tells TechCrunch. The reason Apple directs spyware victims to Access Now is because big tech companies don’t want to do forensics on people’s devices and accounts, notes security expert Runa Sandvik. According to Access Now, Apple’s alerts help investigate targeted spyware by making it easier for victims to contact investigators.
Apple previously stated that it is not aware of any successful spyware attacks against iPhones with Lockdown Mode enabled. According to spyware expert John Scott-Railton, this mode is a ‘game changer’ to increase the security of the iPhones of people at risk. The expert notes that enabling Lockdown Mode is his top security tip for ‘high-risk’ iPhone users. Earlier this year he called on Google to develop a similar mode for Android, as it is still missing.
