German politicians targeted by iPhone spyware

German officials have received alerts from Apple indicating their iPhones may have been targeted by sophisticated spyware. The action follows a series of notifications sent to 110 countries in August 2026, with Germany's digital minister Karsten Wildberger confirming receipt of the warning on October 29 of the same year. The Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik or BSI) has advised politicians to assume their devices may have been compromised, though Apple has not confirmed a successful attack.

Apple recommends using Lockdown Mode to enhance security and urges caution as the alerts are linked to "mercenary spyware attacks" more sophisticated than typical cybercrime. The exact number of affected politicians and federal staff remains undisclosed, as does the identity of those behind the attacks. Apple's alerts, which include lock screen notifications and email alerts, are based on high-confidence evidence and are sent to over 150 countries since 2021.

Meanwhile, Germany's Bundestag had previously criticized Apple over its privacy stance in 2021, even as the government admitted to using Pegasus spyware.