BENGALURU, April 11 (Reuters) - Apple Inc ( AAPL ) has

warned its users in India and ninety-one other countries that

they were possible victims of a "mercenary spyware attack",

according to a threat notification email that was sent to

targeted users.

The company discovered that attackers tried to "remotely

compromise the iPhone", Apple ( AAPL ) said in the notification email

seen by Reuters.

Mercenary spyware attacks are rare and vastly more

sophisticated than regular cybercriminal activity or malware,

according to the notification email.

The iPhone-maker has sent threat notifications such as these

multiple times a year since 2021, the notification email said,

adding that it has notified users in more than 150 countries in

total to date.

In October 20223, some Indian lawmakers shared screenshots

on social media of a notification quoting the iPhone

manufacturer as saying: "Apple ( AAPL ) believes you are being targeted

by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely

compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID".

The company had then said it did not attribute the threat

notifications to "any specific state-sponsored attacker".

(Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto; Editing by Janane

Venkatraman

)