"- In March 2025, senior members of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) living in exile were targeted with a spearphishing campaign aimed at delivering Windows-based malware capable of conducting remote surveillance against its targets.
- The malware was delivered through a trojanized version of a legitimate open source word processing and spell check tool developed to support the use of the Uyghur language. The tool was originally built by a developer known and trusted by the targeted community.
- Although the malware itself was not particularly advanced, the delivery of the malware was extremely well customized to reach the target population and technical artifacts show that activity related to this campaign began in at least May of 2024.
- The ruse employed by the attackers replicates a typical pattern: threat actors likely aligned with the Chinese government have repeatedly instrumentalized software and websites that aim to support marginalized and repressed cultures to digitally target these same communities.
- This campaign shows the ongoing threats of digital transnational repression facing the Uyghur diaspora. Digital transnational repression arises when governments use digital technologies to surveil, intimidate, and silence exiled and diaspora communities."
https://citizenlab.ca/2025/04/uyghur-language-software-hijacked-to-deliver-malware/
At the heart of the UN in Geneva, China uses a network of government-backed NGOs (GONGOs) to intimidate human rights activists and silence critics. Surveillance, threats, and manipulation threaten global human rights advocacy. We must stay vigilant & support independent voices! 
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