TechCapsules

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Germany’s federal cybersecurity office warned that members of the Bundestag and other high‑profile individuals may have been targeted by state‑backed spyware after Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users. The alerts, which Apple issues when it detects zero‑click exploits capable of stealing messages and location data, covered users in 99 countries. German spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said the government is taking the incident seriously, though he did not confirm which officials were affected, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Apple does not attribute attacks to specific actors, and it has not verified actual compromise. Similar warnings were received by a Beirut‑based filmmaker, underscoring the global reach of the covert surveillance market, where governments often purchase tools such as Israel’s Pegasus for intelligence and political leverage.