Project Zero, a Google security research team, recently reported that they discovered a number of malicious websites that hacked into the iPhone. Behind the site, there is a suspicion that the Chinese authorities were targeting Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
The attack used 12 vulnerabilities, including 7 on Safari for iPhone. The attacker stole the iPhone’s root privileges and made it possible to use all the features on the device. Google reported that it was stealing user photos and messages and using it to track where they were in real time.
Google reported the vulnerability privately in February, and a few days later, Apple responded in the form of an iOS 12.1.4 security update. This vulnerability affected iOS 10 through 12.
According to foreign media, the website using this vulnerability is believed to be a state-supported attack designed to target the Uighur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang, China. It is presumed that this may be part of the Chinese government’s efforts to crack down on a minority Muslim community. The UN Human Resources Commission also released a report that the Chinese government has detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in concentration camps over the past year.
A Google report says these websites have been neglected for at least two years and have thousands of visitors every week. In addition, the same site as targeting the iPhone is said to target not only iOS but also Android and Windows users. In other words, it is estimated that it was targeting Uyghurs much more broadly than Google reported.
I used a method of installing typical spyware that opens another malicious site when someone accessing this website opens a link. Of course, the FBI has urged to remove it from the Google search index, as the site is infected even if it is not Uyghur. Of course, the FBI expressed its position that it could not be confirmed or denied.
There are reports that the Uighur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang, China, installed a facial recognition system and was monitoring Islam. It can be said as an example of the possibility that technology can lead to a politics of terror in connection with government agencies. Related information can be found here .