Apple has issued a fresh wave of threat notifications to iPhone users in 98 countries,alerting them to potential mercenary spyware attacks.This marks the second such alert this year,following a similar notification to users in 92 countries in April.

　　Since 2021,Apple has consistently sent these notifications,reaching users in over 150 countries,as detailed in a support document on the company’s website.The latest warnings,issued on Wednesday,did not specify the attackers’identities or the countries where the users received the alerts.

　　Apple’s warning to affected customers stated,“Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID-xxx-.”

　　The message continued,“This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do.Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks,Apple has high confidence in this warning—please take it seriously.”

　　Among the users who received the latest notifications are individuals in India,according to user testimonials.In October,Apple had sent similar warnings to several journalists and politicians in the country.Amnesty International later reported the presence of Pegasus,a highly invasive spyware developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group,on the iPhones of prominent Indian journalists.

　　Apple emphasized the sensitive nature of its threat identification methods in its communication to affected users,noting that revealing more details could help attackers evade future detection.

　　In a notable shift from last year,Apple has begun referring to these incidents as“mercenary spyware attacks”rather than the previously used term“state-sponsored”attacks.

　　Apple stated that it relies solely on“internal threat-intelligence information and investigations to detect such attacks.”