Researchers find Chinese hacking campaigns targeting AI firms, Asian governments

What happened

Two separate reports by cybersecurity companies highlight China-linked hacking operations, including a phishing (messages that impersonate someone to obtain passwords or money) campaign that impersonated Western experts. Researchers find Chinese hacking campaigns targeting AI firms, Asian governments, according to The Record.

On Thursday, researchers at Proofpoint spotlighted an incident from July where a Chinese threat actor (the person or group behind an attack) conducted multiple phishing attacks by impersonating prominent economists and even a former member of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy leadership team. The emails targeted AI experts who worked for universities, think tanks and law firms. The first emails were sent on July 8 and initially impersonated former White House official Lynne Edwards Parker before switching to prominent foreign police expert Heidi Crebo-Rediker. The lure in the email was the opportunity to join a fake "AI Policy Advisory Committee" or participate in a fictitious Senate report on AI export controls. “The group first sent benign conversation starter emails, which included calls to action themed around AI policy such as joining an ‘AI Policy Advisory Committee,’ to build rapport and solicit a response from the target,” Proofpoint researchers said. and Japanese think tanks, defense contractors and universities.

Key facts

• Two separate — reports: by cybersecurity companies highlight China-linked hacking operations, including a phishing campaign that impersonated Western experts