World News: Apple warns Thai activists ‘state-sponsored attackers’ may have targeted iPhones – Gulf Digital News

World News: Apple warns Thai activists ‘state-sponsored attackers’ may have targeted iPhones – Gulf Digital News

BANGKOK: Apple Inc issued alert messages on Wednesday to at least six activists and researchers who have been critical of Thailand's government, warning it believed their iPhones had been targeted by "state-sponsored attackers", according to activists and the alerts reviewed by Reuters.

Apple and Thailand's Digital Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist at Bangkok's Thammasat University, said he had received two emails from Apple warning it believed his iPhone and iCloud accounts had been targeted, along with a "threat notification" on his Apple account.

Researcher Sarinee Achananuntakul and Thai activist Yingcheep Atchanont of Legal Monitoring group iLaw said they had received similar emails, while a rapper, a political activist, and a politician opposed to the government separately posted screenshots of the same email on their social media accounts.

All are perceived as being critical of the Thai government.

The messages warned "if your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone."

Two political activists in Ghana, an opposition politician in Uganda, as well as a dozen journalists from Salvadoran media reported later on Wednesday having received similar warning messages from