Facebook security staff have discovered that Chinese hackers have targeted Uyghur activists and journalists living in the United States (US) with the aim of spying on them .
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“They targeted activists, journalists and dissidents belonging to the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities from China’s Xinjiang, who live mainly abroad, in Turkey, Kazakhstan, the United States and other countries,” Facebook said yesterday.
According to the investigation, hackers were able to infect targets’ electronic devices with malware “for surveillance.” In some cases, Chinese hackers compromised or mimicked news sites frequently visited by Uyghurs to secretly install spyware.
“This group used fake Facebook accounts to create fake personas posing as journalists, students, human rights advocates, or members of the Uyghur community to build a relationship of trust with targeted individuals and trick them into clicking on malicious links,” the social networking platform said.
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Facebook's investigation was also aided by a study by security firm FireEye.
In January, the United States said China was committing crimes against the Uyghur community and other ethnic and religious minorities living in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. The Chinese government has denied this claim.
The US State Department estimates that around 2 million Uighurs, as well as members of other Muslim minorities, have been detained in concentration camps in the region in the past.
Facebook the Chinese government for the espionage campaign, but said the Chinese hackers “had the hallmarks of a well-resourced group.” In the past, hackers linked to the Chinese government have compromised iPhones and Android devices to target Uyghurs.
See also: China: They are monitoring the Uyghur minority with technology
According to the social networking platform, the hacking groups behind the espionage campaign are known as “Evil Eye” and “Earth Empusa” and have been linked to other similar campaigns.
Source: CNN International
