Apple 'State-Sponsored Attackers' Alerts Spark Massive Political Controversy In India: Five Highlights

A political controversy erupted on Tuesday (31 October) after multiple Opposition MPs claimed that they received "state-sponsored attackers" alert from Apple on their iPhones.

The government has said that it is concerned by the statements made by the Opposition MPs and has opened an investigation into the incident.

Here are five developments that have happened so far in the matter:

Notifications Received by Opposition Leaders Spark Concern

The alerts from Apple, indicating that "State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone," have caused a stir among opposition leaders.

This comes in the wake of the Pegasus controversy, with several MPs, including prominent figures from Congress and other parties, sharing screenshots of the warnings they received.

Many Opposition leaders asked the government to probe the matter.

Apple's Response

Apple has stated that it does not link the notifications to any specific state-sponsored attackers, citing the complexity and sophistication of such threats.

Apple issued a statement in which clarified on the threat notifications.

"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. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete," the US tech giant said in its statement.

"It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected," it added.

"We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behavior to evade detection in the future," the company said.

Opposition attacks Government

The issue has also taken a political turn with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi suggesting a link between the alerts and criticism of industrialist Gautam Adani, leading to a broader political controversy.

"As soon as Adani is touched, intelligence agencies, snooping are deployed," Gandhi said while addressing a press conference.

He added that party leaders like K C Venugopal, Pawan Khera, and several other opposition leaders got the alert.

Addressing the issue, Gandhi said multiple leaders alleged their Apple devices were being "hacked".

"...Earlier, I used to think number 1 is PM Modi, number 2 is Adani and number 3 is Amit Shah, but this wrong, number 1 is Adani, number 2 is PM Modi and number 3 is Amit Shah. We have understood the politics of India and now Adani ji cannot escape. Distraction politics is going on..." Gandhi said.

Government says alert "vague", seeks Apple's help in the probe

Meanwhile, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has described Apple's information as "vague and non-specific," and the government has requested Apple's cooperation in the investigation.

"We are concerned by the statements we have seen in 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 about ‘state-sponsored attacks’ on their devices. However much of information by Apple on this issue seems vague and non-specific in nature," Vaishnaw said in a post on X.

"Apple states these notifications maybe based on information which is ‘incomplete or imperfect’. It also states that some Apple threat notifications maybe false alarms or some attacks are not detected," he said.

"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," the IT Minister added.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar defends government

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has expressed skepticism regarding the timing of these alerts, coinciding with the election season, suggesting the possibility of political motivations behind the dissemination of these warnings.

He highlighted that the issue is not localised to India, as similar notifications have been received by users in over 150 countries, raising questions about the intent and accuracy of Apple's security alerts.

Chandrasekhar has called on Apple to provide a clear explanation, challenging the tech giant to reconcile the dichotomy between their acclaimed secure platform and the unsettling notifications sent to users.

He underscored the need for an investigation to ascertain the nature of the compromise, if any, and to understand the implications of the term "state-sponsored" used in the alerts.