Apple Warns Thai Activists Of Attacks On Their IPhones

JAKARTA - Reuters, reported that Apple Inc on Wednesday, November 24 issued a warning message to at least six Thai activists and researchers who have been critical of the country's government.

According to the activists, Apple also warned that their iPhones had been targeted by "state-sponsored attackers". The Thai Ministry of Digital and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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

Researcher Sarinee Achananuntakul and Thai activist Yingcheep Atchanont of the Legal Monitoring group iLaw said they had received similar emails. Meanwhile a rapper, a political activist, and a politician opposing the government separately posted screenshots of the same email on their social media accounts. All these parties are considered critical of the Thai government.

The message warns "if your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even your camera and microphone." This is a hallmark of attacks using the Pegasus spyware.

Apple on Tuesday, November 23, filed a lawsuit against Israeli cyber company NSO Group and its parent company OSY Technologies over alleged surveillance and targeting of Apple users in the US with its Pegasus spyware.

In a statement on Tuesday, Apple said the NSO group had created "state-sponsored surveillance technology" aimed at a "small number of users".

But it was not clear in Apple's warning last Wednesday whether they believed Thais were also targeted by Pegasus.

Internet security watchdog group Citizen Lab was identified in 2018 as the operator of the active Pegasus spyware in Thailand.

Thailand's government is still led by the architect of the 2014 coup, who remains in power after a 2019 election that rivals say has benefited the military.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, the leader of the coup, has denied the claims, but has faced months of anti-government protests. In addition to calls for greater democracy, the government has also been criticized for its poor management of the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.