Facebook disrupts hackers who used iOS exploits, malware to spy on Uyghurs

Facebook on Wednesday said it successfully cut off a hacking operation that used the social media platform to spread the so-called Insomnia malware, a malicious program leveraged in an effort to spy on the Uyghur population in Xinjiang, China.

Announced in a blog post, Facebook's action targeted a group of hackers known in the security community as Earth Empusa or Evil Eye.The collective, which has been linked to entities working for the Chinese government, deployed iOS and Android malware on a variety of websites in attempts to surveil devices owned by activists, journalists and dissidents. Uyghurs from Xinjiang who moved abroad were main targets of the group's activities.

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