Be careful if you visit China; the government hacks phones of tourists

China’s government is forcing foreigners trying to enter the Xinjiang region to install on their smartphones a malware variant capable of extracting their text messages, among other files. According to cybersecurity specialists, this information is used by China for mass surveillance of Xinjiang, where the Muslim population lives under extreme oppression.

China border agents install Android malware at
various checkpoints; in addition to extracting the user’s messages, the malware
also scans the device for a specific set of files and software of interest to
China. The main objective of the Chinese government is to confiscate propaganda
material on Islamic extremism.

Thanks to a tourist who collaborated with
cybersecurity experts, it was possible to obtain a sample of the malware, which
was thoroughly analyzed. Multiple security firms, such as Citizen Lab of the
University of Toronto, and Ruhr University of Bochum investigated this malware,
known as BXAQ, concluding that the code is composed of other tools such as
CellHunter and MobileHunter.

The researchers claim that, after completing
its installation, BXAQ begins to collect as much user information as possible,
such as calendar entries, phone contacts, call log and text messages. Finally,
BXAQ sends all the information to a server, controlled by the Chinese
authorities. The app is designed to be removed from the device after fulfilling
its mission.

“China’s surveillance against the Muslim
community in Xinjiang
is one of the most invasive and illegal systematic practices in the
world,” says a spokesperson for the NGO Privacy International.
“Modern apps, platforms, and devices generate huge amounts of data that
people probably don’t even know or think they’ve deleted, but can be found on
their devices.”

Previously, cybersecurity specialists from the
International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) conducted research on
KingWang, a malware that China installed on devices in the Xinjiang region to
seek propaganda from pro-Islam, for which, despite being a questionable
practice, is not something new for the people of Xinjiang.

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