In March 2025, a sophisticated cyber campaign targeting senior members of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) was uncovered. These individuals, living in exile, faced a serious threat from a Windows-based malware designed for surveillance.

The campaign involved a spear-phishing attack utilizing a compromised version of UyghurEdit++, an open-source tool meant for Uyghur language support. According to a report by Citizen Lab, the malware was not cutting-edge in its technology, but the method of delivery was highly customized to resonate with the target population. Investigations revealed that the operations related to this campaign began as far back as May 2024.

The triggers for the investigation were notifications received by the targets from Google alerting them of government-backed attacks on their accounts, with several alerts sent as recently as March 5, 2025. The phishing emails pretended to originate from a trusted source and contained links to Google Drive. Clicking these links prompted downloads of a password-protected RAR archive.

Inside this archive was a malicious version of UyghurEdit++, which surveilled the victim’s Windows system and transmitted information to an external server. The spyware, written in C++, also included functionality to download additional malicious modules and execute commands on the compromised systems.

These incidents are part of a larger series of targeted cyberattacks aimed at the Uyghur diaspora, which appears to be a strategy of digital repression backed by state actors, likely linked to the Chinese government.

Citizen Lab noted that these cyber activities intend to monitor the Uyghurs in the diaspora, controlling their connections to their homeland and the dissemination of information regarding human rights issues. The overarching goal is to manage global public perception concerning China’s actions in Xinjiang.

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