Cybersecurity experts believe the Chinese may be using “a computer virus” to spy on the iPhones of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong.
The virus “spies on Apple Inc’s iOS operating system for the iPhone and iPad.”
According to Reuters, Lacoon Mobile Research has identified the “malicious software” as Xsser. And they say it can be used to “[steal] text messages, photos, call logs, passwords, and other data from Apple mobile devices.”
The server code for Xsser is “written in Chinese.” Lacoon discovered it while investigating other software used to target the Google Inc Android operating system used by other pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. They claim it “can cross borders easily, and is possibly being operated by a Chinese-speaking entity to spy on individuals, foreign companies, or even entire governments.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Chinese hackers breached the White House Military Office (WHMO) computer system in September 2012. The WHMO contains nuclear codes, presidential travel details, and the secret information contained in the nuclear football.
And in September 2014 MailOnline pointed to a Senate Armed Services Committee report indicating “hackers associated with the Chinese government have repeatedly infiltrated the computer systems of U.S. airlines, technology companies, and other contractors involved in the movement of U.S. troops.”
However, Lacoon Mobile Research chief Michael Shaulov says Xsser is “the first real indication that really sophisticated guys are shifting from infecting PCs or laptaps to going after iOS devices.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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