Last week, **Apple** issued a wave of threat notifications to users in 99 countries, alerting them to potential mercenary spyware attacks. Among those targeted were numerous German officials, including members of a delegation traveling with Chancellor **Friedrich Merz** on an Asian tour, as reported by German news magazine **Der Spiegel**. ### High-Profile Targets and Official Response While many victims have not come forward, **Franziska Brantner**, co-leader of the **Green Party** and a member of the parliament’s European Affairs Committee, publicly confirmed she received an **Apple** warning. The German information security agency, **BSI**, swiftly responded by sending a warning letter to affected German officials, advising them to assume their devices are compromised and replace them immediately. Digital Minister **Karsten Wildberg** highlighted the government's rapid response, noting the **BSI** letter was issued within 24 hours of **Apple**'s initial notifications. The **BSI** stated it does not yet know the exact number of infected devices or the specific targeting criteria used by the attackers, but emphasized the gravity of these attacks. ### A Broader Epidemic This incident follows earlier public confirmations from a Lebanese documentary filmmaker and a Turkey-based reporter, who were among the first to acknowledge receiving **Apple**'s spyware warnings. **Hannah Neumann**, a German Member of the European Parliament and a long-time advocate against spyware, described the scale of these attacks as unprecedented. "Several foreign policy politicians and also staffers have received **Apple** notifications in the last round, and given that before it was maybe one in one round and then maybe another one in another round, this has been very different this time," Neumann stated. "There has been something big going on." Neumann, who served on the now-disbanded **PEGA committee** investigating commercial spyware like **NSO Group**'s **Pegasus**, stressed that spyware abuse is not merely a privacy concern but a critical national security threat. "It's a hardcore security issue because once the technology is out there, we will see proliferation," she warned. ### Calls for Decisive Action The timing of these revelations is particularly poignant, occurring on the eve of the **Pall Mall Process** meeting in Paris, where voluntary industry guidelines for spyware usage are expected to be unveiled. This international initiative, spearheaded by the French and British governments, aims to curb the proliferation and misuse of advanced surveillance technologies. **John Scott-Railton**, a digital forensic researcher at the **Citizen Lab**, commented on the situation: "It wouldn’t shock me if the companies giving feedback at **Pall Mall** are among those captured by **Apple**’s latest threat notification round." He added, "What just happened in Germany is the latest proof that Europe has an untreated mercenary spyware epidemic." Scott-Railton criticized European countries for tolerating spyware companies and often acting as customers. He urged Germany to seize this opportunity to establish strong deterrence and leadership in combating mercenary spyware, emphasizing that even technologically sophisticated governments remain vulnerable.