The Centre has announced an investigation into the alert issued by Apple to Opposition MPs warning them of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones. It has reportedly asked the tech giant to join the probe.
After the MPs began sharing screenshots of the alert, Apple issued a statement saying the company “does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker” and that “some threat notifications may be false alarms.”
In a post on X, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and “will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications”.
“In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state-sponsored attacks,” the minister said in his post.
Vaishnaw later told reporters that the government was taking the matter seriously. “The government is concerned about this issue and it will get to the bottom of it. We have already ordered an investigation into it,” Vaishnaw told reporters.
He added that Apple’s warning message was not unique to India but had been issued globally. “Apple has issued this advisory in 150 countries. It is clear from their mail that they don’t have specific information. They have sent this alert based on an estimate,” he said.
The minister also took a dig at the opposition, stating people who cannot see the growth of the country are doing destructive politics. “From the mail sent from Apple, it can be understood that they have no clear information, they have sent alerts on the basis of an estimate. This is vague. Apple has released a clarification that the allegations by compulsive critics are not true. Such advisories have been sent to people in 150 countries. The people who cannot see the growth of the country are doing destructive politics,” Vaishnaw added.
