Security News > 2021 > February > Cyberattacks Launch Against Vietnamese Human-Rights Activists

Human-rights activists are being targeted by cyberattacks as part of a wider effort by the Vietnamese state to censor anyone speaking out against the government, Amnesty International's Security Lab alleges.

Ocean Lotus, a well-known threat actor dating back to 2013, is behind the spyware campaign against human-rights defenders and has long been identified as having goals "Aligned with the Vietnamese state interests," according to Amnesty International's report on the situation.

Spyware is just the latest tool turned against dissenting bloggers and activists by the Vietnamese government, an arsenal which also includes harassment, assault, travel bans and jail, the report explained.

The first spyware attacks against government dissidents began in Feb. 2018, according to Amnesty International's investigation.

Last summer, Android spyware called ActionSpy, was sent to victims across Tibet, Turkey and Taiwan in an effort to collect data on minority Uyghur populations, victims of Chinese-state-sponsored human rights abuses.

The security industry, along with Amnesty International and other groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, continue to raise the alarm about the real-world, life-and-death consequences of cybersecurity when tools are turned against the globe's most vulnerable populations.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/cyberattacks-vietnam-human-rights-activists/164284/