New Delhi, Aug. 22 -- The message appeared on the lock screen before the phone was even unlocked: "Apple detected a mercenary spyware attack targeted at your iPhone." For the thousands of people who saw that notification last week - journalists, civil servants, diplomats, and individuals who still cannot explain why they were chosen - it arrived with a single urgent question attached: now what?

a volume record for the organization's Digital Security Helpline, which assists journalists, activists, lawyers, and civil society members navigate suspected surveillance.

The notification does not confirm a compromise occurred. Apple is careful to describe it as a high-confidence assessment that a specific individual was targeted - not proof tha...