Oppn leaders claim 'state-sponsored attack' notification from Apple

 Govt rejects charge but assures probe

PTI, New Delhi, Oct 31, 2023 : Several opposition leaders on Tuesday claimed they received an alert from Apple warning them of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones and alleged hacking by the government, a charge IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw rejected but assured a thorough probe.

Those who received such notifications included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, K C Venugopal, Supriya Shrinate and T S Singhdeo; Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and some aides of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also received the notification.

iPhone-maker Apple Inc reacted to the claims, saying it is possible that some threat notifications may be false alarms and some attacks may not be detected. It, however, refused to say what triggered warnings received by opposition leaders.

Raising the issue at a press conference here, Rahul Gandhi attacked the Modi government. “We are not scared. You can do as much (phone) tapping as you want, I don’t care. If you want to take my phone, I will give it to you..,” he said.

“The hierarchy in the country is: No. 1 – Adani, No. 2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and No. 3 Amit Shah… Narendra Modi’s soul is with Adani. The truth is that power is in the hands of someone else. As soon as Adani is touched, intelligence agencies snooping are deployed,” he said.

Chaturvedi and Moitra, who were among the first to flag the issue, demanded a probe.

Moitra said on X she is writing officially to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, “requesting he follow RajDharma to protect Opposition MPs & summon @HMOIndia (Home Ministry) officials ASAP on our phones/email being hacked. Priveleges Committee needs to take up. @AshwiniVaishnaw this is real breach you need to worry about”.

IT Minister Vaishnaw rejected the opposition’s attack on the government, saying the “compulsive critics” were indulging in the politics of “distraction” as they could not tolerate the country’s progress under the PM’s leadership.

Vaishnaw, however, assured the government “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,” the minister said in his post.

His MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar pointed out that similar “threat notifications” were sent to people in over 150 countries by Apple. “Our government is committed and duty bound to protect privacy of our citizens and we take this responsibility very seriously. Government will investigate these threat notifications and also apples claims of being secure and privacy compliant devices,” he posted on X.

Opposition leaders put out posts on X hitting out at the government.

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Tharoor said, “Received from an Apple ID, HYPERLINK “mailto:threat-notifications@apple.com”threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?” he said on X, tagging the Prime Minister’s Office, the Congress, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

Sharing the same screenshot, Khera said, “Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?” The message shared by the MPs stated, “ALERT: 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,” it stated.

Yechury said, “This kind of hacking and surveillance state that is being set up, this is actually a surveillance state under Modi government. This is part of destruction of democracy that is going on.” “As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to hide. Everybody knows my positions. I don’t know what they will find out by hacking my mail, maybe they will improve their understanding of Indian history, or maybe they will learn better English,” he told PTI.

At an event in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav said, “It is a matter of regret that in a democracy, freedom and privacy is being harmed.” The AAP alleged the Officer on Special Duty to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also received the purported warning by Apple.

“Raghav Chadha ji has got a similar message on his phone. CM Kejriwal’s OSD has also got the same message. What we know of the list is only opposition MPs have received this hacking threat,” AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai told PTI Video.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged that targeting AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and TMC MP Mohua Moitra are signs of the BJP’s nervousness about the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “Perhaps the BJP’s vicious communal propaganda won’t work anymore which is why they are throwing most opposition leaders behind bars on trumped up charges,” Mufti posted on X.