The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has recently warned about a new sophisticated family of spyware called BadBazaar. This malware disproportionately affects marginalized communities. It has been trained almost exclusively against Uyghurs, Tibetans, Taiwanese, civil society groups and democracy advocacy organizations. The NCSC’s BadBazaar advisory paints a very alarming picture of capabilities that can hijack the most precursory and deep Android applications.
BadBazaar functions as “trojan” malware, hiding itself within the most innocent-looking apps so it can sidestep security shields. Once it’s installed on a device, companies have the backdoor to conduct surveillance that they’ve promised to avoid. The spyware has the capacity to monitor phone cameras and microphones, track location data, and access personal chats and photos. These features create severe privacy dangers to the individuals and civil society groups whom the spyware targets.
The NCSC indicates that the primary victims of this surveillance are those associated with movements advocating for independence and rights. The advisory specifically mentions: “The individuals most at risk include anyone connected to: Taiwanese independence; Tibetan rights; Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in or from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; democracy advocacy, including Hong Kong, and the Falun Gong spiritual movement.” This claim highlights the broad impact that BadBazaar’s use could have.
The surveillance state potential of BadBazaar is a serious danger not only to civil liberties, but to everyday personal safety and privacy as well. As the spyware gets deeper and deeper into devices, it threatens to be a tool to silence voices that should be promoting democracy and human rights, instead. The NCSC’s advisory is an important wakeup call about persistent and evolving digital dangers threatening marginalized communities.
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