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Governments Identify Dozens of Android Apps Bundled with Spyware
A coalition of governments has published a list of legitimate-looking Android apps that were actually found to be hiding malicious software, which was used to target specific groups, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Taiwanese communities. The spyware, known as BadBazaar and Moonshine, had surveillance capabilities that allowed it to access phone cameras, microphones, chats, photos, and location data.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), these two families of spyware were used to target individuals internationally who are connected to topics considered a threat to China’s stability. This includes anyone connected to Taiwanese independence, Tibetan rights, Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, democracy advocacy including Hong Kong, and the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
The list of malicious apps provided by the NCSC includes over 100 Android apps that masqueraded as Muslim and Buddhist prayer apps, chat apps like Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, as well as other popular apps such as Adobe Acrobat PDF reader and utility apps.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/09/governments-identify-dozens-of-android-apps-bundled-with-spyware/
