Last week, researchers at Project Zero basically uncovered a series of hacked websites that have been attacking iPhones for years without anyone knowing. However, the latest report claims that these malicious websites were targeting Uyghur Muslims in China.

According to a report by TechCrunch, the malicious websites were "part of a state-backed attack — likely China — designed to target the Uyghur community in the country’s Xinjiang state." Reportedly, these websites are a part of the Chinese government's latest effort to crack down on the minority Muslim community.

Google researchers revealed that there are a number of websites that have been at work attacking iPhones users that visited them. These websites had “thousands of visitors” per week for at least two years, Google said.

iPhone. Image: Reuters

Notably, soon after reporting their findings to Apple, the iPhone manufacturer patched the vulnerabilities earlier this year in iOS 12.1.4 update.

In May this year, another report revealed that the Chinese authorities are using a mobile app designed for mass surveillance to profile, investigate and detain Muslims in Xinjiang by labelling "completely lawful" behaviour as suspicious, a Human Rights Watch report said Thursday.

Beijing has come under international criticism over its policies in the northwest region of Xinjiang, where as many as one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are being held in internment camps, according to a group of experts cited by the UN.