iPhone threat notifications row: Apple team from US set to rush to India, meet CERT-In officials

Earlier this month, at least nine political leaders from opposition parties received a shocking alert on their iPhones warning them of "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their device. It raised an alarm among leaders as they posted screenshots of the alerts on their X accounts, seeking clarification for the same. Eventually, nothing came of the iPhone threat notifications, and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-in, under the department of MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology), issued a show cause notice to Apple. As per reports, a team of cyber security executives from Apple are expected to meet with the agency.

Apple to meet CERT-in over iPhone threat notifications

On Friday, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that Apple has to reply to the notice which needs to be done by their global cyber security team.

"They have to come here and answer those questions. Basic issue is ongoing," the minister told reporters.

He said that the CERT-In has met local representatives of Apple but the issue is beyond their capability to respond.

"It is their cyber security people who have to come and meet CERT-In and they will come all the way from the US," the minister said.

When asked about the deadline given to Apple to submit its response, the minister said he is not certain about the dates but expects the team to meet Cert-In officials sometime this month.

A MeitY official said that the Apple cyber security team will come this month only if they get a visa on time.

Members of Parliament (MPs) who received the warning notification on their iPhones include Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, K C Venugopal, Supriya Shrinate, T S Singhdeo and Bhupinder S Hooda; Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and SP 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 these iPhone threat notifications.

(With inputs from PTI)