Apple Launches Secret Operation: Special Team Heads to India to Track Down Hackers

Apple is sending a team of in-house experts to India in response to reports from local media that Indian politicians received warnings on their iPhones about state-sponsored hacking attempts. Earlier this month, the CERT-IN agency received several complaints from opposition politicians about their mobile devices being hacked and notified Apple about the issue.

It is still unclear how credible these complaints are, and a month has already passed since the first reports of the threat. However, it is possible that the situation has escalated and more people have become victims. In any case, Apple has taken the matter very seriously and assembled a team that will travel to India.

Who Is on Apple’s Investigation Team?

The Apple research group will include cybersecurity experts and other technical specialists who will determine whether the hacking warnings were justified.

Apple itself is usually skeptical about claims of threats related to state-sponsored hackers. This is largely because such attacks are extremely expensive to carry out and therefore happen very rarely.

“State-sponsored attacks are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars, and often have a short window of exploitation,” the company said in an official statement. “The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks.”

What Does This Mean for Apple Users?

The recent commotion in India clearly shows that while targeted attacks on Apple devices are difficult to execute, they are still possible. For this reason, Apple users—as well as users of any other mobile technology—should be cautious and always install official security updates promptly. This is especially important for people whose line of work involves higher risks.