Western intelligence agencies on Tuesday warned of an increasing threat from Beijing’s security services to use malicious mobile phone applications to surveil Taiwanese independence activists, Tibetan rights advocates and others opposed by the Chinese government.
An advisory issued late on Tuesday warned of “the growing threat” posed by malicious surveillance software deployed by a Chengdu, China-based contractor reported to have ties to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
The advisory was signed by cybersecurity agencies in the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Germany.
Photo: Reuters
Those most at risk include people connected to Taiwanese independence, Tibetan rights, Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, democracy advocates — including in Hong Kong — and the Falun Gong spiritual movement, the British National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said in the advisory.
The warning comes amid increasing tensions surrounding Taiwan, including Chinese military drills around the nation on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and a March 28 visit to the Philippines by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in which he reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to deterring Chinese aggression in the region.
The Chengdu-based contractor, Sichuan Dianke Network Security Technology Co Ltd (四川電科網路安全技術有限公司), was linked to the deployment of a pair of distinct malware packages. They were tracked as “Badbazaar” and “Moonshine” and used to ferret sensitive information from mobile devices, while also giving operators remote access to devices’ cameras, microphones and location data, the advisory said.
The warning is for non-governmental organizations, journalists, businesses and other individuals who advocate for or represent the groups, the NCSC said in the advisory.
“The indiscriminate way this spyware is spread online also means there is a risk that infections could spread beyond intended victims,” it said.
Chinese embassy in Washington spokesman Liu Pengyu (劉鵬宇) said that China “firmly opposes the smear attacks against China without any factual basis,” and that the tracing of cyberattacks is complex.
“We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude when characterizing cyberincidents, basing their conclusions on sufficient evidence rather than unfounded speculation and accusations,” he said.
The warnings build on previous cybersecurity industry reporting that malware and infrastructure have been used by the contractor going back several years. The advisory cited a Jan. 29 report published by Intelligence Online, a news organization focused on international intelligence operations, linking the malware to the contractor.
The contractor has provided services to the Chinese ministry, the report said.
The FBI, US National Security Agency and intelligence agencies in Australia, Canada, Germany and New Zealand participated in the advisories, the NCSC said.
The FBI declined to comment, and the NSA did not respond to requests for comment.
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