Overview
- Apple sent a fresh batch of lock-screen, email and account.apple.com warnings on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, notifying users it suspects were targeted in 110 countries.
- The in-device message reads, “Apple detected a mercenary spyware attack targeted at your iPhone,” and Apple provides step-by-step guidance and ways to verify genuine alerts so users can avoid fake messages.
- Apple urges notified users to enable Lockdown Mode, a strict security setting that the company says has not been observed to be bypassed when active, and to seek rapid expert assistance from trusted responders.
- The company calls these notices “high-confidence” but does not name the specific spyware or blame any government or vendor in individual alerts, though past forensic follow-ups have sometimes confirmed infections with tools such as Pegasus.
- Researchers say the alerts create a crucial signal that prompts victims to get help and can trigger wider investigations; mercenary spyware is rare, costly, and typically aimed at a small set of high-value targets like journalists, activists, diplomats and politicians.