Apple iPhones now under CERT-In lens
Govt’s cybersecurity agency starts probe, directs US tech major to clarify if its devices are secure and why threat notifications were sent to several MPs
image for illustrative purpose
New Delhi: The central government’s cybersecurity agency CERT-In has started its investigation into the issue of the Apple threat notification received by several opposition MPs, and a notice has been sent to the company, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday.
The move assumes significance as the Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar had earlier this week said that the government wants Apple to clarify if its devices are secure and why ‘threat notifications’ were sent to people in over 150 countries, given the company’s repeated claims about its products being designed for privacy.
The government will investigate the threat notifications and also Apple’s claims of being secure and privacy-compliant devices, Chandrasekhar had penned in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, after several opposition leaders claimed ‘state-sponsored’ attack notification were sent to them from Apple and the government ordered a probe. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has categorically rejected the opposition’s attack on the government, saying compulsive critics were indulging in the politics of distraction, as they could not tolerate the country’s progress under the PM’s Narendra Modi leadership.
On Thursday, S Krishnan, Secretary, IT Ministry confirmed that notice has been sent to Apple. “CERT-In has started its probe... they (Apple) will cooperate in this probe,” Krishnan told reporters on the sidelines of an event related to the Meity-NSF research collaboration. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.
