A coalition of governments has published a list of seemingly legitimate Android apps that actually contained spyware used to target civil society groups that could oppose China’s interests, TechCrunch reports.
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), along with government authorities in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the US, have issued warnings about two families of spyware known as BadBazaar and Moonshine.
These apps looked like regular Android apps, but actually operated as “Trojans.” They had access to cameras, microphones, chats, photos, and location data. According to the NCSC, these apps were used to spy on Uyghurs, Tibetans, Taiwanese, and other groups, as well as activists who were engaged in issues that the Chinese state considers threatening.
These apps specifically targeted individuals associated with topics that China considers threatening to its rule, such as Taiwan independence, Tibetan rights, support for democracy, and the Falun Gong movement. According to the NCSC, these apps masqueraded as popular apps such as Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, as well as Muslim and Buddhist prayer books.
The list also mentions over 100 Android apps, including popular ones like Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader. One of the apps mentioned in the report is TibetOne for iOS, which was available on the Apple App Store in 2021.