State Behind Apple Attack: Opposition

New Delhi: Close on the heels of Pegasus "snoopgate" row, another controversy exploded on Tuesday after American phone maker Apple sent security alerts to several people, including Opposition leaders, in India about the possibility of "state-sponsored" hacking of their phones.

Politicians, academicians and think tank analysts shared screenshots of their alerts on social media, some accusing the government of carrying out snooping.

Denying allegations, information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnav said a probe has been ordered. Apple said individuals in 150 countries have been sent such mail and some alerts may be false.

The Apple alert said: "State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone. Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. 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. While it’s possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously."

Later, after the alert snowballed into controversy, Apple said: "Apple does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker. State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated and their attacks evolve over time."

Some who got the alert message include Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, three persons in Rahul Gandhi’s office and president of think tank ORF Samir Saran.

Amid allegations and counter allegations, Vaishnav attacked the Opposition leaders, saying there are "compulsive critics" who have a habit of criticising the government all the time.

"We are concerned by the statements we have seen in the media from some MPs as well as others about a notification received by them from Apple. The notification received by them as per media reports mentions ‘state-sponsored attacks’ on their devices. However, much of the information provided by Apple on this issue seems vague and non-specific in nature. 

Apple states these notifications may be based on information that is



‘incomplete or imperfect’. It also states that some Apple threat notifications, maybe false alarms or some attacks are not detected," said Vaishnaw.

The Union minister added, "Apple has also claimed that Apple IDs are securely encrypted on devices, making it extremely difficult to access or identify them without the user’s explicit permission. This encryption safeguards the user’s Apple ID and ensures that it remains private and protected. 

The government of Bharat 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."

Minister of state electronics and technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar said Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal too has got such a message. "Saran has nothing to do with the government. He too has got the message… It is for Apple to explain," Chandrashekhar said.

"After today’s ‘threat notifications’ being received by many people, including MPs and those in geopolitics, we expect Apple to clarify the following: If its devices are secure; why these "threat notifications" are sent to people in over 150 countries; because Apple has repeatedly claimed their products are designed for privacy. Our government is committed and duty-bound to protect the privacy of our citizens and we take this responsibility very seriously," Chadrashekhar said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition leaders claimed that this was "another attempt" by the government to muzzle their voice before the Lok Sabha polls. "Received text and email from Apple warning me that the government is trying to hack into my phone and email... Adani and PMO bullies -- your fear makes me pity you," Moitra said.

The TMC MP added that she will be writing to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to protect Opposition MPs and summon Union home ministry officials over the issue. She also compared the situation to the 1975 emergency period in the country.

Yechury said, "I got an email from Apple last night that mentioned that ‘state-sponsored’ surveillance is being done and your phone and all the systems are being hacked and tackling this is difficult... Privacy is the right of every citizen, according to our Constitution... The Centre needs to give clarification on why this is being done..."