Chinese hackers impersonated US artificial intelligence experts, including a former White House official, in a campaign to steal emails and credentials of researchers and policy experts working on AI, cybersecurity firm Proofpoint said on Thursday.
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The hackers targeted individuals at think tanks, universities, defence contractors and other organisations, using fake emails proposing AI-related collaborations and initiatives to lure recipients to password-stealing websites, according to a Proofpoint report.
The cybersecurity firm identified the group as "TA419" and said it had been tracking its attempts to steal passwords from individuals working with US and Japanese think tanks, defence contractors, universities and law firms since at least 2025.
Proofpoint attributed the activity to a Chinese group based on the malware used, internet infrastructure involved and the nature of its targets, which the company said aligned with Chinese intelligence-gathering priorities.
The latest campaign involved emails impersonating experts in artificial intelligence and statecraft, including Lynne Parker, who previously served as principal deputy director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The emails typically proposed AI-focused collaborations before directing recipients to websites designed to steal their login credentials, the report said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has repeatedly denied conducting cyberespionage operations.
Proofpoint did not identify the targets but said they included "experts working on AI regulation, export controls and national AI strategy."
Reuters independently identified one of the targets as Alex Engler, a former White House official who now heads the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy.
Engler told Reuters on Wednesday that he received an email appearing to come from Parker, inviting him "to join a new AI policy project." However, he said the message "felt slightly, nebulously off" and that he realised it was an impersonation after checking with others in the field.
Engler said he could not speculate on why someone would attempt to hack him.
Proofpoint, however, said the campaign's targeting of fewer than 10 individuals across a handful of organisations suggested "an intelligence interest in US policymaking rather than technology theft alone."
Parker told Reuters that Engler was one of two people who received suspicious messages impersonating her in early July. She said the allegation of Chinese involvement was plausible.
"The United States and China are in a competition around AI," Parker said. "Trying to get people in the AI policy space to reveal information about their AI policy plans — if that indeed was what the objective was — it's not surprising."
