Chinese Hackers Pose as AI Experts to Target US and Japanese Policy Minds

According to a new report released on Thursday by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, a China-aligned hacking group known as TA419 has been impersonating artificial intelligence experts in the United States, including a former government official.

The report revealed that in July, the hackers targeted a slate of US policy experts by posing as prominent figures, such as Lynne Edwards Parker, who serves as the former principal deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Operating since April 2025, the hackers initially sent harmless-looking emails to engage targets, such as invitations to join an “AI Policy Advisory Committee”. Once targets responded, they were redirected to a fake login page designed to steal their credentials.

The affected targets included policy experts at think tanks, defense contractors, universities, and law firms across both the US and Japan. The operation utilized a technique that creates a fake browser pop-up window inside a legitimate webpage, mimicking an authentic sign-in prompt to deceive victims.

While Proofpoint did not specifically name the hacked targets, the Reuters news agency confirmed at least one victim as Alex Engler, a former White House official who currently heads the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy. Engler stated that he received one of the emails and discovered it was from an impersonator after checking with industry colleagues.

In February, the same group was responsible for impersonating a prominent Anthropic employee in similar efforts to target AI policy experts. Proofpoint believes the group will persist in targeting think tanks and policy experts by continuing to exploit the identities of real-world experts. Lynne Edwards Parker did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.