Spies working for China’s intelligence agency are using job search and recruitment sites, including LinkedIn, to trick Western workers into sharing sensitive information, according to a joint consultation by the FBI, the UK’s MI5 security agency and the governments of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
The advisory says Chinese spies are posing as online recruiters and human resources firms representing fake companies purporting to be located outside of China and targeting individuals with the goal of obtaining non-public information that may benefit Beijing.
The advice comes as governments continue to issue warnings about Chinese espionage, even as the US and UK have tried to improve relations with Beijing in recent times. While Chinese spies often rely on hacking to steal information, the advisory highlights how spies also try to cultivate sources through public websites and communities.
China’s military intelligence services “ultimately seek to obtain privileged military, political and economic information that can give China a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes,” the advisory said, referring to the decade-long intelligence-gathering alliance formed by the five countries behind the joint statement.
Spies target and cultivate long-term relationships with security clearance holders and military personnel, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as journalists, academics and think tank employees with knowledge of unclassified information. Targets are selected in part based on their resume and the likelihood that they know potentially sensitive or non-public information.
According to the advisory, unclassified information can be useful to spies, particularly if combined with other, more sensitive information that can benefit Beijing’s policy decisions.
When contacted by TechCrunch for comment, a LinkedIn spokesperson said, “Creating a fake account or misrepresenting yourself is a clear violation of our terms of service. We remain focused on detecting government-sponsored abuse and will continue to enforce our policies against fake accounts.”
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