Apple Issues New Warnings After Spyware Campaigns Target iPhones

It can be tempting to think of your iPhone or Mac as a fortress, impenetrable to outside threats. After all, Apple prides itself on its security. But a series of warnings issued by the company throughout 2025 serves as a wake-up call that even the strongest defenses have weak points. Apple is warning of a series of attacks based on sophisticated spyware campaigns, targeting iOS-powered iPhones of a specific group of high-profile individuals.

Apple’s spyware attack warnings to iPhone users

Since March, Apple has sent four waves of threat notifications to its users. These weren’t your typical phishing scams. We’re talking about highly advanced mercenary spyware, tools often used by state-sponsored actors to conduct surveillance. These attacks are even able to exploit what are known as zero-day vulnerabilities. If you are not aware, zero-day vulnerabilities are flaws in software that the developer is not yet aware of.

Even more alarmingly, some of them are zero-click exploits. This means the spyware can infect a device without the user doing a single thing. Just receiving a malicious message, for instance, could be enough to compromise your phone.

The targets of these attacks are not everyday users, though. They are journalists, lawyers, politicians, and activists—people who, due to their work, are of interest to nation-states and powerful groups. These campaigns leverage tools like Pegasus and Predator to silently infiltrate devices and collect a vast amount of data. Cybersecurity agencies like France’s CERT-FR confirmed these attacks.

Apple working hard to patch the vulnerabilities

In response, Apple has been proactive, directly alerting compromised users via notifications on their devices and through their iCloud accounts. The company has also been busy patching at least seven critical vulnerabilities this year. However, the nature of these attacks means that by the time you receive a warning, your device may already have been compromised for some time.

For most people, the risk of being a target of such a high-level attack is low. However, these events highlight the importance of basic cybersecurity habits for everyone. Always keep your devices updated with the latest software patches, as these updates are often released to close the very loopholes that attackers are trying to exploit. For high-risk individuals, Apple’s Lockdown Mode offers an additional layer of security, albeit with some limitations.

These incidents show that the cat-and-mouse game between tech giants and cyber threat actors is ongoing. It serves as a reminder that while companies like Apple are constantly improving security, vigilance on the part of the user is an essential part of the digital defense strategy. In the end, the main security shield for your devices is yourself.