On Thursday, Apple joined the CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response team) in connection to the probe into allegations of attempts by state-sponsored attackers to hack iPhones of some opposition leaders. The probe will be led CERT-In which is the government’s nodal agency on cyber security. The controversy erupted after some opposition leaders including TMC leader Mahua Moitra, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and AAP leader Raghav Chadda among others shared screenshots on ‘X’ where apple claimed that some state-sponsored attackers are trying to hack their phones.
The central government said that the investigation will determine if Apple products are safe and secure and be trusted with protecting the privacy of its users. The IT Ministry had sent a notice to Apple for seeking an explanation on the alerts issued to opposition leaders and a few mediapersons, informed Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The Minister further added: “The government is determined to get to the bottom of this. Our investigation is focused on determining if the Apple products are secure and safe and can be trusted to protect the privacy of the consumers. If Apple devices are safe… we want to know what those threat notification messages were. We have asked them to explain. If their devices are secure and safe, they should be transparent and disclose the vulnerabilities to their consumers and the government,”
“Since the threat notifications have gone to 150 countries, it’s important that Apple joins the investigation and explain honestly and transparently” added Chandrasekhar.
Opposition leaders have sought a meeting of IT panel to discuss the issue further. CPIM John Brittas has also written to the committee chairman Pratap Rao Jadhav. However, BJP’s Nishikant Dubey who is a member of the IT panel said that the panel does not discuss day to day issues.
