Cybersecurity investigators have identified a sophisticated cyberattack targeting a small number of smartphones belonging to individuals in government, politics, technology, and journalism. The attacks, which began in late 2024 and continued into 2025, involved unusual software crashes that served as indicators of the breach. The hackers reportedly exploited zero-click vulnerabilities in messaging platforms such as iMessage, allowing infiltration without any user interaction. Chinese hackers are suspected to be behind the operation, which has been described as a mobile security crisis exacerbated by user lapses. In a related incident months before a Syrian military operation, a malicious software called SpyMax was covertly installed on thousands of Syrian army officers' devices, collecting rank, location, and identity information under the guise of a donation app, enabling live surveillance of the officers.