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December 18, 2025 – Belarus –
Investigations by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and affiliated digital security researchers have revealed that Belarusian state security forces are deploying previously undisclosed spyware to infiltrate the mobile devices of journalists and media workers, escalating concerns about digital surveillance and press repression in the country. The spyware, identified and analysed by RSF’s Digital Security Lab (DSL) in collaboration with the Eastern European organisation RESIDENT.NGO was discovered on the smartphone of a Belarusian journalist known to have been interrogated by the State Security Committee (KGB). Rights advocates say this development illustrates a broader pattern of systematic efforts by Belarusian authorities to suppress independent journalism.
The surveillance tool, which RSF has termed ResidentBat, is designed to target Android smartphones and grants extensive access to sensitive personal and professional data. According to RSF, once installed, ResidentBat can capture telephone call logs, SMS messages, local files, encrypted messaging content, audio recordings from the microphone, screenshots, and other private information stored on the device. Unlike well-known remote spyware tools, ResidentBat does not exploit vulnerabilities over the internet. Instead, it is installed manually — in the documented case, reportedly during police custody after the journalist was compelled to unlock their phone in front of security officers.
The forensic analysis indicates that the spyware has been active since at least 2021, suggesting a sustained surveillance programme targeting independent media figures and possibly other civil society actors. RSF has described the discovery as significant, exposing the extent to which Belarusian authorities may be using sophisticated digital surveillance to circumvent traditional press protections. The organisation has made the technical findings available to journalists and security professionals and is urging media workers who suspect they may be targeted to seek digital security support.
Belarus ranks among the most repressive environments for journalists globally, with many independent outlets shuttered, prominent editors imprisoned, and reporters forced into exile in recent years. State repression of journalism in Belarus often includes censorship, detentions, intimidation, and criminal charges framed under broad legal pretexts. The use of covert surveillance software adds a new digital dimension to these long-standing methods, raising alarm among press freedom advocates about vulnerabilities to privacy, source protection, and independent reporting.
Press freedom organisations are calling for international attention to this issue and for protective measures to be strengthened for journalists working under hostile state surveillance environments.
Reference –
https://rsf.org/en/exclusive-rsf-uncovers-new-spyware-belarus
https://news.risky.biz/risky-bulletin-belarus-deploys-spyware-on-journalists-phones/
