NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing controversy in India, where opposition leaders have raised concerns about alleged government-sponsored phone surveillance, it has come to light that Indiaโs nodal agency for cybersecurity, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), had issued a security warning for iPhone users in the country back in June 2023.
The alert specifically focused on vulnerabilities in iPhones that could be exploited by hackers. CERT-In, operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to address cybersecurity threats, provided early warning to users, cautioning that if these vulnerabilities were not addressed, hackers might gain full control of usersโ devices.
FLASH: Union minister for communications, electronic and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw announces that Indian government has commissioned a probe into possible breach of security or attack into Apple iphones of MPs or individuals in India. #Apple #iPhone
Executiveโฆ pic.twitter.com/nsZrE9Cogh
โ The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 31, 2023
CERT-In identified weaknesses in Appleโs iOS and iPadOS, particularly relating to โimproper state managementโ in WebKit and โimproper input validationโ in the Kernel. These issues could potentially be leveraged by hackers to execute their own code on targeted devices, potentially granting them complete control. Due to the gravity of these vulnerabilities, CERT-In categorised its warning as having a โhigh severity level.โ
Interestingly, similar threat notifications were also received by iPhone users in approximately 150 countries, and several political leaders in Uganda reported receiving similar messages on their phones. Even Armenian-based journalists found themselves on the receiving end of such notifications.
FLASH: Union minister for communications, electronic and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) says, โApple has clarified that its advisory says attacks have taken place in 150 nations, not India alone.โ#Apple #iPhone
Executive Editor @rohanduaT02โฆ pic.twitter.com/2fONkxXIGM
โ The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 31, 2023
Several prominent opposition leaders in India, including Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, shared screenshots of the messages they received.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, responding to the allegations of phone tapping, challenged Centre by stating, โDo as much phone tapping as possible; you can take my phone. I am not scared. This is the work of criminals and thieves.โ
FLASH: Union minister for communications, electronic and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw announces that Indian government has commissioned a probe into possible breach of security or attack into Apple iphones of MPs or individuals in India. #Apple #iPhone
Executiveโฆ pic.twitter.com/nsZrE9Cogh
โ The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 31, 2023
In response to the allegations made by opposition leaders, Apple issued a statement clarifying that it does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker.
It turns out that it wasnโt just people in India who received this alert from Apple
Armenia too.
It can even be a foreign govt like China trying to unsettle India democracy knowing Apple has shifted its manufacturing to India. From Zhengzhou to Sriperumbudur, Hyderabad & Bang. pic.twitter.com/rP6AD9lZWB
โ Rohan Dua (@rohanduaT02) October 31, 2023
Itโs worth noting that back in August 2022, Apple had advised its users to immediately update their iPhones, iPads, and Macs to protect against a pair of security vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to take complete control of their devices.
BIG BREAK: Union min for communications & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw announces Indian govt has commissioned a probe into possible breach of security or attack into Apple iphones of MPs or individuals in India
Now, we will go to bottom of it. Foul play or whoever behind it โ Minister pic.twitter.com/aSxRjL5JLc
โ Rohan Dua (@rohanduaT02) October 31, 2023
