Germany has raised concerns over a fresh wave of suspected spyware attacks after Apple warned users in 99 countries that their devices may have been targeted. Members of the Bundestag and other prominent individuals reportedly received alerts, although the government has not identified those responsible or confirmed any successful breaches.
Germany has warned members of its parliament and other prominent individuals to take Apple's latest spyware alerts seriously, amid concerns that government-linked hackers may have attempted to access their iPhones.
The warning comes after Apple sent notifications to users across 99 countries, alerting them to suspected attempts to compromise their devices. While the company has not identified the attackers or confirmed whether the targeted phones were successfully hacked, the latest disclosures have prompted renewed scrutiny of the use of commercial spyware against politicians, journalists and other public figures.
Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said it had received reports that members of the Bundestag, the country's parliament, and other notable individuals had been notified by Apple about potential cyberattacks.
The development has also drawn attention from the federal government. Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told the Financial Times that Berlin was "taking the incident and the warning very seriously". However, officials have not disclosed which individuals were targeted or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz received an alert.
Apple alerts point to a wider surveillance threat
Apple regularly issues threat notifications when it identifies activity suggesting that a particular user may have been targeted by sophisticated spyware. These warnings are intended to alert individuals who could be at risk of highly targeted attacks, rather than indicate that every recipient's device has necessarily been compromised.
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However, the BSI has advised recipients to err on the side of caution. According to the agency, anyone receiving such a notification should proceed on the assumption that their device may have been compromised.
The concern is partly linked to how advanced spyware operates. Some attacks exploit vulnerabilities that allow hackers to infiltrate phones without requiring users to click on suspicious links, download attachments or take any other action. Known as zero-click attacks, these techniques can make surveillance particularly difficult to detect.
Once installed, spyware can potentially give attackers access to private messages, location information and other sensitive data stored on a device.
Apple does not publicly identify the governments or organisations it suspects of being behind individual attacks. Nor does receiving a notification automatically establish that a successful intrusion took place.
Spyware vendors complicate efforts to identify attackers
Germany is not the only country where individuals have reported receiving Apple's latest warnings. Radwan Mortada, a Beirut-based filmmaker, said on X that he had received another notification informing him of a suspected attack on his device. Mortada had previously been targeted by spyware in 2021.
The identity of those behind the latest campaign remains unknown. It is also unclear whether the attacks across the 99 countries are connected or were conducted by different actors.
The incidents nevertheless highlight the growing role of private surveillance companies in government-linked cyber operations. Rather than developing sophisticated hacking tools themselves, governments can purchase access to spyware developed and maintained by commercial vendors.
One of the best-known companies in this market is Israel-based NSO Group, whose Pegasus software has been linked to surveillance operations targeting journalists, activists and political figures.
Germany has also faced questions about its own use of such technology. The country's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) reportedly purchased access to Pegasus in 2019, raising questions about the government's relationship with the spyware industry.
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