Chinese spies are using LinkedIn to lure Westerners into sharing sensitive information

Key points

• Spies working for Chinese intelligence are using job search and recruitment websites, including LinkedIn, to lure Western workers into sharing sensitive information, according to a joint advisory by the FBI, the U.K.’s security service MI5, and the governments of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
• The advisory says Chinese spies pose as online recruiters and human resources firms who represent fake companies purportedly located outside of China, and target people with the aim of obtaining non-public information that might benefit Beijing.
• The advisory comes as governments continue to issue warnings about Chinese espionage, even as the U.S. and the U.K. have tried to improve relations with Beijing of late.
• While Chinese spies often rely on hacking to steal information, the advisory underscores how spies also attempt to cultivate sources through public websites and communities.
• China’s military intelligence services “ultimately seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide...