• What happened: per the BSI, several Bundestag members and other public figures received Apple's vendor threat notifications from Oct 29. Apple's notices say a mercenary-spyware attack was detected; Apple does not say what triggered them or who is behind them.
• BSI position: it does not know whether the notifications reflect actual compromises or only attempts. Its letter of Oct 30 briefed all MPs; recipients were asked to contact the BSI directly.
• Government confirmation: Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger confirmed the ARD report on "Bericht aus Berlin", saying Apple had reported that certain devices may have been compromised with spyware, without further detail. Der Spiegel reported on Nov 2 that participants in Chancellor Merz's Asia trip also received warnings (press report).

BSI's recommendations for anyone who got such a notice: assume the device may be compromised; unless a forensic analysis is planned, update the OS immediately; enable Lockdown Mode (Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode) and keep it on, including on a new device. Genuine Apple notices appear on the lock screen and in Settings, arrive by email to the Apple Account addresses, and show at the top of account.apple.com; Apple never asks you to click links, install apps or profiles, or give passwords or codes. If in doubt, open account.apple.com yourself rather than following a link.

This follows Apple's late-October notifications to users in many countries covered earlier on this site.