China Is Forcing Tourists to Install Text-Stealing Malware at its Border

ZMsiXone · Jul 2, 2019

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...d-to-install-a-text-stealing-piece-of-malware

Jul 2 2019, 5:00pm

The malware downloads a tourist’s text messages, calendar entries, and phone logs, as well as scans the device for over 70,000 different files.

Foreigners crossing certain Chinese borders into the Xinjiang region, where authorities are conducting a massive campaign of surveillance and oppression against the local Muslim population, are being forced to install a piece of malware on their phones that gives all of their text messages as well as other pieces of data to the authorities, a collaboration by Motherboard, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, the New York Times, and the German public broadcaster NDR has found.

The Android malware, which is installed by a border guard when they physically seize the phone, also scans the tourist or traveller's device for a specific set of files, according to multiple expert analyses of the software. The files authorities are looking for include Islamic extremist content, but also innocuous Islamic material, academic books on Islam by leading researchers, and even music from a Japanese metal band.
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mirimir · Jul 4, 2019

So don't bring a phone. Get one locally. Maybe not so great either, but at least your phone won't get pwned.

guest · Jul 4, 2019

Antivirus firms start flagging spyware installed by Chinese border control
July 4, 2019
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...rus-firms-flag-chinese-spyware-border-control

So, according to Vice, cybersecurity firms have been analysing the malware, dubbed BXAQ or Fengcai.

The report claims that multiple cybersecurity firms have software that now detects the presence of the Chinese spyware, and depending on the anti-virus software, a pop-up will alert people to the presence of snooping software on their phone.
Malwarebytes said it had created a rule to detect the Chinese malware, and Symantec said its anti-virus software would have already detected the dodgy software and have flagged it as an unwanted app.
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mirimir · Jul 5, 2019

So I wonder if they detect equivalent US government malware.

Minimalist · Jul 5, 2019

mirimir said: ↑

So I wonder if they detect equivalent US government malware.
Click to expand...

As I remember Kaspersky did detect (some) in past. I don't know about other vendors. I guess that even if they do, they are not so loud about it.

guest · Jul 12, 2019

mood said: ↑

Antivirus firms start flagging spyware installed by Chinese border control
July 4, 2019
https://www.theinquirer.net/inquire...rus-firms-flag-chinese-spyware-border-control
Click to expand...

Chinese Antivirus Companies Don’t Flag Chinese Border Malware
July 12, 2019
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...dont-flag-chinese-border-malware-bxaq-fengcai

Several high profile Chinese cybersecurity companies allegedly don't flag a piece of malware in their antivirus products that can download a victim's text messages, calendar entries, call logs and contacts, and scan their phone for a set of specific files.

[...] Chinese companies and products such as Baidu, Qihoo, Jiangmin, Rising, and Tencent still aren't flagging the malware, according to results from VirusTotal, a Google-owned malware search engine.
The system isn't perfect, but can generally provide a good indication of a piece of malware's coverage across the industry.
None of the companies contacted by Motherboard provided a statement.
Click to expand...

zapjb · Jul 12, 2019

China is off my list of oppressive countries to visit.

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