Apple recently issued warnings to several prominent Indian opposition leaders, including politicians and journalists, regarding potential state-sponsored cyberattacks. Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Akhilesh Yadav, Mahua Moitra, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Asaduddin Owaisi, Raghav Chadha, Sitaram Yechury, and Pawan Khera, along with journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Sriram Karri, were among those notified by Apple of possible security breaches.

Screenshot of Apple Threat Notification Credit: Mohua Moitra

The warnings were sent via Apple's threat notifications, stating state-sponsored attackers could compromise their iPhones. Despite Apple's caution, no specific attribution to a state-sponsored attacker was provided.

Apple's Response and Concerns

In response to inquiries, Apple acknowledged the notifications but refrained from pinpointing the origin of these threats. They emphasized the challenges in identifying such attacks, noting that attributing threat notifications could aid attackers in evading future detection.

India's IT Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressed concern about the notifications, referring to them as 'vague' and mere 'estimations.' The government initiated an investigation into the matter while palliating the severity of the warnings received by the opposition leaders.

State Involvement and Past Allegations

The context of state involvement in cyber espionage against opposition figures isn't new in India. Previously, accusations surfaced regarding the blatant involvement of infamous Pegasus spyware on activists and opposition leaders, although the government has never officially acknowledged these actions. The allegations and concerns surrounding spyware deployment have often been associated with entities within the Indian government.

The allegations of state-sponsored online security threats coincide with reports of the Indian government seeking new spyware contracts. However, there is no official confirmation explicitly linking the recent Apple warnings to the government in New Delhi.

Security Measures and Apple's Recommendations

To counter these potential threats, Apple advised affected individuals to activate the Lockdown mode, introduced in 2022. This mode aims to protect high-risk users, such as politicians and journalists, from state-sponsored spyware intrusions. The Lockdown mode includes measures like curtailing link previews, restricting certain functionalities in Safari, and preventing the opening of attachments from unknown sources.

Implications and Concerns

The timing of these notifications has raised significant concerns, indicating a potentially alarming scenario, which privacy activists like Apar Gupta have underlined. The need for an independent and transparent analysis from the Government of India regarding its spyware acquisitions and deployments has been emphasized. Such instances are seen as critical issues that strike at the core of Indian democracy.

Media and Political Responses

Leaders like Mahua Moitra, Priyanka Chaturdevi, and others have accused the Government of India of behind orchestrating such attacks being the state actor flagged by Apple. While this doesn’t end here, some of them also wrote to the PMO, HMO, and even to the Hon’ble Speaker Shri Om Birla escalating this severe issue of surveillance on opposition members in violation of Constitutional freedoms & the rule of law. These events add to the growing discontent between the opposition and the ruling government, echoing concerns about potential threats to democracy.

Screenshots of letters Mohua Moitra

Geo-Political Speculations

While the exact source of these threats remains undisclosed, geopolitical dynamics suggest various potential origins. India's relations with neighboring countries like Pakistan, China, and Russia raise possibilities of state-sponsored attacks beyond the nation's borders.

Platform Role in India's Political Landscape

Notably, various social media platforms have rigorously experienced scrutiny for permitting hate speech and misinformation, contributing to the escalation of political tensions. This involvement within India's political landscape has raised concerns regarding the role and responsibility of such platforms in maintaining a healthy democratic discourse.

Alerts issued by Apple to Indian opposition leader digresses the complex intersection between cybersecurity threats, political opposition, and the broader context of national and international affairs. The lack of clarity regarding the origin of these threats necessitates transparent investigations and robust measures to safeguard against potential cyber intrusions on political figures, preserving the nation's democratic fabric.