China’s state-sponsored hackers use fake Dalai Lama apps to spy on Tibetan community

9 months ago

Tsering Dhundup

DHARAMSHALA, Aug 4: Hackers tied to China carried out two cyber espionage campaigns targeting the Tibetan community in the weeks leading up to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on July 6, 2025, according to new findings by U.S.-based security firm Zscaler ThreatLabz and the Tibetan Computer Emergency Readiness Team (TibCERT).

The attacks, dubbed Operation GhostChat and Operation PhantomPrayers, used fake Tibet-related apps and websites to secretly install spyware on victims’ devices, enabling the theft of sensitive information, remote surveillance, and device control.

Investigators say the campaigns leveraged multiple subdomains under niccenter[.]net to mimic trusted platforms. Victims were lured into downloading malicious software themed around Tibetan cultural events, triggering multi-stage infection chains that deployed Gh0st RA...

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