Editor's Pick: Apple cyberattack alert: Opposition corners government

U.S.-based tech giant Apple on Monday night informed over a dozen Opposition leaders and journalists via email alerts that their digital devices were being targeted by “state-sponsored attackers” On Tuesday, the Union government said it would launch an investigation into the alerts, though Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw described Opposition claims of snooping as “vague.” Opposition leaders who posted screenshots of these alerts on social media included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and K.C. Venugopal. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi told presspersons that people working in his office had also received alerts. Mr. Gandhi alleged that “snooping” is carried out the moment Opposition leaders “touch” industrialist Gautam Adani. Ms. Moitra levelled similar allegations throughout the day, saying on X (formerly Twitter) that the episode was a “desperate distraction” from reporting on allegedly corrupt dealings involving the Adani Group. “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID,” the alert said, adding, “These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do... If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone.” Apple said that there was a chance of these alerts being a false alarm, but also urged recipients to take the warning seriously. Apple told The Hindu in a statement that it was not accusing a “specific state actor” of being behind these attempted attacks. It is unclear if Apple executives in India were aware in advance that these alerts were going out, or if they will be in a position to disclose to the government how the targets were discovered. Other politicians who reported receiving these alerts include K.T. Rama Rao, T.S. Singhdeo, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Priyanka Chaturvedi, while journalists who received the alert include The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan, Ravi Nair and Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation. No member of the BJP or other National Democratic Alliance has reported receiving such an alert as of Tuesday evening. The Hindu’s Editorials Welcome assertion: On the defection issue and the Supreme Court’s deadline for the Maharashtra Speaker Safety first: On the lessons from the train accident in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who among the following is the spiritual founder of Hamas? Ehud Barak Ahmad al-Shukeiri Sheikh Yassin Mahmoud Abbas To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 01 November 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Apple cyberattack alert: Opposition corners government U.S.-based tech giant Apple on Monday night [informed over a dozen Opposition leaders and journalists]( via email alerts that their digital devices were being targeted by “state-sponsored attackers” On Tuesday, the Union government said it would launch an investigation into the alerts, though Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw described Opposition claims of snooping as “vague.” Opposition leaders who posted screenshots of these alerts on social media included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and K.C. Venugopal. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi told presspersons that people working in his office had also received alerts. Mr. Gandhi alleged that “snooping” is carried out the moment Opposition leaders “touch” industrialist Gautam Adani. Ms. Moitra levelled similar allegations throughout the day, saying on X (formerly Twitter) that the episode was a “desperate distraction” from reporting on allegedly corrupt dealings involving the Adani Group. “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID,” the alert said, adding, “These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do... If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone.” Apple said that there was a chance of these alerts being a false alarm, but also urged recipients to take the warning seriously. Apple told The Hindu in a statement that it was not accusing a “specific state actor” of being behind these attempted attacks. It is unclear if Apple executives in India were aware in advance that these alerts were going out, or if they will be in a position to disclose to the government how the targets were discovered. Other politicians who reported receiving these alerts include K.T. Rama Rao, T.S. Singhdeo, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Priyanka Chaturvedi, while journalists who received the alert include The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan, Ravi Nair and Samir Saran, president of the Observer Research Foundation. No member of the BJP or other National Democratic Alliance has reported receiving such an alert as of Tuesday evening. 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