Germany Warns Politicians Their iPhones May Be Hacked, FT Reports
Germany’s cyber agency told lawmakers and ministers to treat their iPhones as possibly compromised after Apple sent spyware alerts, the FT reported.
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Germany has warned politicians that their iPhones may have been hacked, the Financial Times reported. The warning follows Apple threat alerts that began reaching lawmakers and ministers on Oct. 29.
We could not open the FT’s report, which reached us as a wire headline on X. The facts below come from German officials and ARD’s original reporting.
What Germany Said
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) warned members of the Bundestag and the federal government, ARD reported. It acted after Apple alerts said an attack with “mercenary spyware” had been detected.
Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed the warning on ARD on Sunday, Nov. 1. He said the BSI “reacted super quickly” and wrote to everyone affected.
The BSI told recipients to assume, “as a precaution,” that their devices may be compromised. The alerts do not show whether an attack succeeded, tagesschau noted.
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said on Monday that devices may be compromised, dpa reported. He said Berlin takes the incident very seriously and would not say who is affected.
What Is Known About the Spyware
The Interior Ministry says it is commercial spyware that states have often used against selected targets, dpa reported. It says authorities assume phones are infected without user action, for example through a message that need not be opened.
No official has named a specific exploit, vulnerability or attacker. The BSI said it had no further information on the cause, and Wildberger called details “purely speculative.”
The BSI says such spyware can reach messages, including in encrypted apps, plus calls, contacts, calendars and location. It can also switch on the microphone and camera, Euronews reported.
The Interior Ministry says Apple also alerted private individuals, not only politicians. Der Spiegel reports that Apple warned participants in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Asia trip, in a paywalled article. We could only read its summary.
Apple’s Role
Apple calls its threat notifications high-confidence alerts that a user was individually targeted, its support page says. It says it cannot disclose what triggers them and does not name attackers or regions.
We found no Apple statement specific to the German case. Apple’s alerts do not say whether an attack succeeded.
Apple’s Oct. 29 round reached users in 99 countries, CyberScoop reported. Recipients included a Turkey-based reporter and a Lebanese filmmaker, The Record reported. Neither Apple nor Berlin has said whether the German alerts belong to that round.
What Affected Users Should Do
Apple tells notified users to enable Lockdown Mode and seek expert help, its support page says. It points to the Access Now helpline and advises everyone to install the latest updates.
The BSI’s detailed instructions to those affected have not been published. Wildberger did not say what they contain.
Background
Politicians were targeted earlier this year through phishing on Signal, FAZ recalled. Bundestag President Julia Klöckner was among them, and intelligence services blamed Russia at the time. No such attribution exists for the iPhone case.
Clash Report has also covered foreign governments’ attempts to hack EU officials’ WhatsApp accounts. We also reported on an Israeli spy firm that targeted Starlink users.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.