Security News > 2022 > September > Researchers Uncover Years-Long Mobile Spyware Campaign Targeting Uyghurs

A new wave of a mobile surveillance campaign has been observed targeting the Uyghur community as part of a long-standing spyware operation active since at least 2015, cybersecurity researchers disclosed Thursday.

It's worth noting that a part of the campaign was recently disclosed by researchers from the MalwareHunterTeam and Cyble, in which a book written by the exiled Uyghur leader Dolkun Isa was used as a lure to deliver the malware.

"Some of the versions also ask for Device Admin and root access, which not only gives the malware full access to the device, but also prevents the victim from easily uninstalling the application," the researchers said.

The ongoing use of MobileOrder signals a shift in attack vector from desktop to mobile surveillance, what with the actor previously linked to a Windows malware called Psylo Trojan.

While it's not clear which of these attacks throughout the past seven years have been successful, the very fact that the malware authors are continuing to deploy the spyware is an indication that some of these efforts have paid off.

"The persistence of the campaign, the evolution of the malware and the persistent focus on targeting specific populations indicate that the group's operations over the years are successful to some extent," Check Point said.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2022/09/researchers-uncover-years-long-mobile.html