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Chinese hackers have impersonated US artificial intelligence experts, including a former White House official, in an apparent effort to steal
passwords and gain access to the email accounts of people working on AI policy, cybersecurity firm Proofpoint said.
Proofpoint said it has tracked the group, which it calls TA419, targeting people at US and Japanese think tanks, defence contractors, universities and law firms since at least 2025.
The group’s latest campaign involved emails appearing to come from AI and statecraft experts, including Lynne Parker, a former principal deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
According to Proofpoint, the messages proposed AI-related collaborations or initiatives before directing recipients to websites designed to steal passwords.
The campaign targeted people working on issues including AI regulation,technology export controls and national AI strategy. Proofpoint said fewer than 10 individuals at a handful of organisations were targeted.
Reuters independently identified Alex Engler, a former White House official who now heads the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy, as one of the people targeted. Engler said he received an email appearing to come from Parker inviting him to join an AI policy project.
Engler became suspicious of the message and checked with others in the field before determining that the sender was an impostor. Parker told Reuters that Engler was one of two people who received suspicious messages appearing to use her identity in early July.
Proofpoint attributed the activity to a Chinese group based on the malware, internet infrastructure and targeting patterns it observed. The cybersecurity firm said the focus on AI policy specialists indicated that the campaign may have been aimed at gathering intelligence on US policymaking, rather than solely stealing technology.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has previously denied conducting cyberespionage operations.
The campaign underscores the security risks facing organisations and experts involved in AI policy as governments and institutions develop rules covering artificial intelligence, technology exports and national security.
Proofpoint said it has tracked the group, which it calls TA419, targeting people at US and Japanese think tanks, defence contractors, universities and law firms since at least 2025.
The group’s latest campaign involved emails appearing to come from AI and statecraft experts, including Lynne Parker, a former principal deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
According to Proofpoint, the messages proposed AI-related collaborations or initiatives before directing recipients to websites designed to steal passwords.
The campaign targeted people working on issues including AI regulation,technology export controls and national AI strategy. Proofpoint said fewer than 10 individuals at a handful of organisations were targeted.
Reuters independently identified Alex Engler, a former White House official who now heads the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy, as one of the people targeted. Engler said he received an email appearing to come from Parker inviting him to join an AI policy project.
Engler became suspicious of the message and checked with others in the field before determining that the sender was an impostor. Parker told Reuters that Engler was one of two people who received suspicious messages appearing to use her identity in early July.
Proofpoint attributed the activity to a Chinese group based on the malware, internet infrastructure and targeting patterns it observed. The cybersecurity firm said the focus on AI policy specialists indicated that the campaign may have been aimed at gathering intelligence on US policymaking, rather than solely stealing technology.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has previously denied conducting cyberespionage operations.
The campaign underscores the security risks facing organisations and experts involved in AI policy as governments and institutions develop rules covering artificial intelligence, technology exports and national security.
