Apple reminded Iranians to the iphone spyware attacks, researchers

Human rights organizations and cyber security researchers claim that Apple has warned some Iranians about sophisticated spyware attacks targeting their iPhone.

In the months before the latest Iran-Israel war, Apple sent this warning in the first half of 2025 as part of its continuous threat notification program.

According to research by Iranian cyber security researcher Hamid Kashfi, based in Sweden, and the MIAAN group, a digital human rights organization that focuses on Iran, some Iranians issued this warning.

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At least a dozen people have been identified by researchers, including Iranian citizens who live in Europe and dissidents in Iran, although the right number of victims may be higher.

“Two people in Iran came from families with a long history of political activism against the Islamic Republic. Many members of their family have been executed, and they have no history of traveling abroad,” Amir Rashidi, Director of Digital Rights and Digital Group security, told Techcrunch. “I believe there are three waves of attacks, and we only see the tip of the iceberg.”

Although more research is needed to make more certain conclusions, Rashidi stated that Iran is most likely the government is responsible for the attack. “I do not understand why other people besides Iran have to target civil society members,” he said.