# Uyghur Leaders Targeted by Windows Spyware in Targeted Campaign, Says Citizen Lab

## Uyghur Leaders Targeted by Windows Spyware in Targeted Campaign, Says Citizen Lab

Leaders of the exiled Uyghur community were the target of a Windows spyware campaign last month, according to a report released Monday by Citizen Lab, a digital rights research group at the University of Toronto. The campaign targeted members of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), an organization representing the Uyghur community, a Muslim-minority group that has faced significant repression, surveillance, and hacking activity, allegedly linked to the Chinese government.

The report details how Google alerted some WUC members in mid-March to the suspicious activity, prompting them to contact Citizen Lab for investigation. Researchers uncovered a targeted phishing email campaign where individuals received emails seemingly from trusted contacts. These emails contained a Google Drive link that led to a password-protected compressed file. This file contained a malicious version of a Uyghur language text editor.

While the spyware campaign wasn’t particularly sophisticated, lacking zero-day exploits or commercially available mercenary spyware, the researchers emphasized the attackers’ “deep understanding of the target community.” This suggests a high degree of social engineering, with the attackers leveraging the community’s specific needs and language to deliver the malware effectively. The incident highlights the ongoing cybersecurity threats faced by vulnerable communities and the importance of digital security awareness.