Germany says lawmakers’ iPhones may have been hacked with spyware

What happened

Germany's cybersecurity office, the BSI, said members of the Bundestag (the German parliament) and other well-known people got warnings from Apple. Apple said they may have been targeted by cyberattacks. The German government says it is taking the warning very seriously. It has not said who was targeted, or whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz was one of them.

Key facts

• Apple's latest batch of threat notices went to users in 99 countries.
• Radwan Mortada, a filmmaker in Beirut, got a new notice. He was also targeted by spyware in 2021.
• Germany's federal police agency, the BKA, reportedly bought access to Pegasus spyware in 2019.

What is spyware?

Spyware is software that secretly spies on a phone. It can steal messages, location data, and other private information. Some attacks use zero-click exploits. These attacks work without the victim clicking a link or opening a file, so they are very hard to notice. Apple sends threat notifications to people it thinks were targeted, but it does not say which government was behind an attack or confirm that a phone was actually hacked.

Why it matters

The story shows how common these attacks are becoming, especially against journalists, activists, and other members of civil society. Governments often do not build spyware themselves. They buy it from private companies, sometimes called mercenary spyware makers. The BSI told people who get an Apple warning to assume their device may be compromised.

What to watch

• Whether the German government names the people who were targeted.
• Who is behind the latest round of attacks. This is still unclear.
• Whether more countries report similar Apple warnings.