Chinese hackers impersonated AI experts to target US policy minds

TA419 hackers used deceptive tactics, impersonating real figures like a former White House AI officialPublished On 1 Oct 20261 Oct 2026Chinese hackers have been impersonating artificial intelligence (AI) experts in the United States, including a former government official, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Proofpoint.The report, released on Thursday, found that in July, a China-aligned hacking group called TA419 targeted a slate of US policy experts by impersonating prominent figures, including Lynne Edwards Parker, the former principal deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4What’s the US–China AI ‘hotline’ that Trump plans to pitch to Xi Jinping?list 2 of 4As AI leaders warn of catastrophe, US and China shun slowdown callslist 3 of 4OpenAI cancels release of AI model GPT-6.1 Astra, citing safety concernslist 4 of 4US regulator launches probe into AI companiesend of listThe hackers, who had been operating since April 2025, first sent otherwise harmless-looking emails intended to engage a target, such as requests to join an “AI Policy Advisory Committee”, and, once they responded, the t...