Apple warns: Phones of 3 ministers in Turkey targeted

It has been claimed that Apple sent warning notifications regarding potential attacks by paid spyware on the phones of at least three ministers serving in Turkey.

According to sources close to the matter who spoke to Ragıp Soylu of Middle East Eye, these notifications were part of the same wave of alerts Apple sent to certain iPhone users in 110 countries last month. The sources stated that the attempts to compromise the ministers' phones are believed to have been unsuccessful.

Following the allegations, it was reported that the relevant phones in Turkey were examined, the devices were subsequently replaced, and additional security measures were implemented. The identities of the ministers said to have been targeted were not disclosed.

PHONES TAKEN FOR EXAMINATION

According to the report, following Apple's warning, the newly established Cyber Security Presidency took the phones in question for technical examination. A Turkish official stated that the ministers use phones with advanced security measures to protect sensitive information and utilize specially encrypted applications.

The official noted that attempts to attack the phones of politicians, business people, and prominent figures in the region have become widespread, adding that high-level officials operate under the assumption that they could be targeted at any moment. The Turkish official commented on the matter, saying, "There is no need for a specific reason for these attacks, and we all need to be careful."

It has not yet been clarified which spyware was used in the attacks. Since there are numerous companies offering similar surveillance tools, it is considered that identifying the software used may take time.

It was previously claimed that high-level officials in Turkey were targeted in 2021 by attacks allegedly involving the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware. During the same period, a study conducted by the Paris-based Forbidden Stories and 16 media organizations alleged that government clients had selected more than 50,000 phone numbers as potential targets since 2016.

According to experts, methods known as "zero-click" can be used in advanced spyware attacks. In these attacks, the user does not need to click on any link or perform any action. Apple's Lockdown Mode feature also aims to provide additional protection against such sophisticated attacks.

News Source: 12punto