Chinese cyber attack on Amnesty International

A recent report from Secureworks indicates that the Canadian branch of Amnesty International has been infected with spyware. The intrusion was identified on October 5, 2022, and originated from a China-linked APT group. The methods and nature of the targeted information are indeed « consistent with those associated with Chinese cyber espionage threat groups, » according to Secureworks.

Amnesty International Canada says it has « taken swift and robust action to strengthen its digital security and restore online systems to a safe state. » The NGO has informed the authorities, its staff and donors of the breach.

« As a global human rights organization, we are acutely aware that we can be the target of attempts by states to disrupt or monitor our work, » said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

« We will continue to shine a light on human rights violations wherever they occur and expose governments’ use of digital surveillance to stifle human rights, » she adds.

Mike McLellan, director of intelligence at Secureworks, points to an increase in Chinese attacks on human rights organizations.

« China uses its cyber forces to gather political and military intelligence and spy. Organizations like Amnesty are interesting to China because of the people they work with, » he commented.