China is conducting a large-scale cyberattack against Taiwanese in collaboration with state-owned software developers and hacker groups, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
“Badbazaar” and “Moonshine” spyware are targeting devices possessed by Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, Uighurs, Tibetans, democracy advocates and ordinary people, the council said, citing a report by the British National Cyber Security Centre.
The report, published in collaboration with the cybersecurity agencies of the UK, the US and Germany, said that the spyware programs pose a “growing threat” to public security, as they were designed to give hackers access to geolocation data, cameras and microphones of infected devices.
Photo: screen grab from the Mainland Affairs Council’s Facebook page
Hackers are spreading the spyware under the guise of popular applications such as the messaging programs Line and Tibet One, the MAC said.
It urged people to only download apps from legitimate app stores, check the authorization settings of apps on their devices, report any suspicious messages and programs, and refrain from clicking on links leading to unknown Web sites.
The government last month published a national information security strategy and national security development plan for 2025 to 2028 to bolster Taiwan’s cybersecurity governance and defense, the council said.
Separately, the Straits Exchange Foundation published this year’s edition of the China Travel Safety Handbook, which includes a list of warnings for Taiwanese visiting China, Hong Kong or Macau.
Taiwanese travelers should back up and delete personal data from cellphones, tablets, laptops and other digital devices that could be searched or confiscated by Chinese officials before entering the country, it said.
Those visiting China should not bring political, historical or religious literature, take photographs of harbors, airports or military activity, discuss sensitive topics or affairs with others, or collect data on China’s economy or society without authorization, it said.
They should also avoid using or downloading Chinese apps, it said.
Some Taiwanese who did not follow the recommendations in the handbook have been detained, interrogated or imprisoned in China, it said.
Chinese officials arrested and charged a Taiwanese national involved in religion for allegedly breaching China’s laws against undermining law and order, it said, adding that the person remains imprisoned.
Taiwanese wishing to return to Taiwan the remains of a compatriot or loved one who died in China must present a death certificate issued by Chinese authorities at customs, it said.
Cremated remains require a cremation certificate, while a body in a coffin requires a disease prevention certificate, it said.
The certification can be handled by the person bringing the remains into the country or a customs broker, it said.
Government personnel and private citizens involved in sensitive matters must obtain prior permission before traveling to or transiting in China, it said.
Beijing’s promulgation last year of “22 articles” against Taiwanese independence advocates and supporters poses an “extremely high risk” to people visiting China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) has said.
In response, Taiwan raised its travel advisory for China to “orange,” meaning all nonessential travel should be avoided, he said.
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