Khaberni - Google and Apple, the largest technology giants in the world, have launched a new round of cybersecurity warnings to their users in more than 150 countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The companies warned of attempts to target their devices in those countries with advanced spyware from the Israeli company "Intellexa," according to media reports.
The companies confirmed that these alerts come as a reaction to government-backed spying campaigns targeting hundreds of accounts across multiple countries, which is a step to enhance privacy in the era of increasing digital threats.
Google announced in a statement published on December 3 that it sent warnings to hundreds of accounts in countries such as Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Angola, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Tajikistan, indicating that most of these attempts used spyware tools from "Intellexa" including the famous "Pryda Tor" program.
Media sources reported that Apple sent alerts to iPhone users in more than 80 countries in the latest round, bringing the cumulative number to more than 150 countries in total.
The companies did not disclose the exact number of targeted users, but the alerts include text messages warning of "state-supported attacks" and advising to update the device and activate security features.
Google says "Intellexa," which was sanctioned by the United States in 2024, continues its operations despite international pressure, using zero-day security exploits to hack phones without user interaction.
John Scott-Railton, a researcher at the Canadian "Citizen Lab," added that these warnings cost cyber spies a high price, often sparking official investigations, as previously happened in the European Union after targeting officials with spyware.
"Intellexa's" software goes back to the commercial spying market, which flourished over the past decade, where companies like it sell tools to governments to monitor activists, journalists, and opponents, sparking global human rights criticisms.
In 2023, "Citizen Lab" and "Amnesty International" revealed the use of "Pryda Tor" in Egypt to target the phones of activists, while the United States imposed sanctions on the company in July 2024 for supporting illegal spying campaigns.
These alerts come in the context of Google and Apple's ongoing campaigns since 2016, where Google has sent more than 50,000 warnings to date, and Apple more than 100,000, to face threats from countries like China, Iran, and North Korea, in addition to commercial espionage.
In the Middle East, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have previous cases of targeting phones with Israeli NSO software (Pegasus), which prompted the European Union to investigations in 2024, leading to the closure of spyware deals in some countries.
