The Five Eyes intelligence alliance – comprising the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand – issued a rare joint warning this week regarding a sophisticated espionage campaign by China.
Security officials revealed that Chinese military intelligence is using professional networking sites like LinkedIn to target military personnel, spies and civilians with access to sensitive information.
According to the official alert, foreign actors use an “aggressive online recruitment strategy” by posing as employees of private consultancies, think tanks or human resources firms.
These fake recruiters place job advertisements to lure individuals, who are then pressured to provide “non-public” information for unspecified clients linked to the Chinese government.
The agencies noted that the ultimate goal is to “acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence” that gives Beijing a strategic advantage.
Those who fall for these schemes are often offered financial incentives but the consequences can be severe.
The statement warned that individuals caught participating in these activities have already faced “criminal prosecutions, job losses and security-clearance revocation.”
Intelligence agencies advised users to carefully evaluate new networking requests and demand more information if a potential employer appears suspicious or lacks a credible corporate history.
