i phone users are at high risk with the growing Smishing attack

The threat landscape for iPhone users is expanding rapidly, with phishing attacks becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive.

It's true that Apple's iPhones, like other smartphones, can be targets for various types of attacks. However, Apple has implemented several robust security measures to protect users.

Recently, A new iPhone warning was issued by security researchers after they found criminals were targeting iPhone users in an SMS phishing campaign.

Apple is well aware of the growing risk, which is why the iPhone maker has issued a new alert to help users protect their Apple IDs and other online accounts.

Apple has issued this warning to iPhone users via a new support document titled, “Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams.”

A recent phishing campaign has been identified, targeting iPhone users in India by posing as India Post. This scam involves fraudulent iMessages designed to steal personal and financial information.The scam involves sending an iMessage to iPhone users, falsely claiming that a a package is waiting at an India Post warehouse. 

Reports suggest that this campaign is being attributed to a China-based threat actor known as the Smishing Triad. This group has previously targeted other regions, including the US, UK, EU, UAE, KSA, and, most recently, Pakistan. The scammers lure victims to a fake India Post website where they are asked to provide personal details and credit card information for a supposed redelivery fee.

FortiGuard Labs discovered the phishing domain 'indiapost[.]top,' which impersonates India Post through a cloned copy of the original website. The domain itself does not host any content; instead, specific paths on the domain are utilized to host the phishing website. 

The phishing operation is extensive, with over 470 domains registered to impersonate India Post since January 2024. Many of these domains were registered through a Chinese registrar, further indicating the involvement of the Smishing Triad.

Secondly, the issue of contact numbers getting deleted from the iPhone contact list is indeed a serious concern for users. This problem, combined with the ability to find some numbers through WhatsApp messages, suggests a complex interaction between the iPhone's contacts and WhatsApp's data management.

All it seems, there might be problems with syncing contacts between the iPhone and services like iCloud or other email accounts. Expert says, A bug in iOS or WhatsApp could be causing contacts to disappear from the iPhone’s contact list.