LinkedIn China Spying Threat Prompts Warning From US, Allies

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(Bloomberg) — The US and its “Five Eyes” intelligence partners issued what they said was an unprecedented joint notice warning about attempts by Chinese spies to use websites such as LinkedIn to recruit assets.

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“China’s military intelligence services are using an increasingly wide array of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes government and military personnel — and anyone with access to classified or privileged information,” according to a joint statement by the FBI, Britain’s MI5 security service and the domestic intelligence agencies of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

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“These actors use an aggressive online recruitment strategy whereby intelligence officers or their affiliates pose as employees of private consultancies, think tanks or human resources firms, and place online job advertisements for foreign policy and defense analysts,” the agencies said Wednesday.

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The warning illustrates continued concern about Chinese spying among the US and its allies despite efforts by the countries to improve ties with Beijing in recent months. US President Donald Trump met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing last month and Britain’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, has visited the country this week. 

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“China’s military intelligence services ultimately seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes,” according to the notice.

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China was targeting Five Eyes nationals with security clearance, particularly those working in foreign affairs, security and intelligence, and military personnel including people stationed in the Asia-Pacific region, it said. People with more peripheral access to government information, such as academics, journalists and think tank employees, were also being approached.

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The Chinese embassy in the UK strongly condemned the accusations, calling the allegation of Chinese espionage threats “entirely fabricated” and “malicious slander.” 

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The “Five Eyes” members have “engaged in unscrupulous espionage and intelligence-gathering activities around the globe. Their activities are the real threat to peace-loving countries,” the embassy said in a statement Thursday.

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The Five Eyes, which has its roots in US-UK cooperation during World War II, is one of the world’s most comprehensive spying alliances. The five anglophone nations give special access to each other’s intelligence and share information on security threats. 

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According to the agencies, Chinese spies have commissioned reports to be written by those they’ve approached, paying them anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, with payments sometimes made in cryptocurrency.

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“Military members may be asked about their roles and unit activities, home base or naval vessel,” the notice said. “Five Eyes agencies have identified individuals who have undertaken these activities, leading to criminal prosecutions, job losses, and security-clearance revocation,” it warned.

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—With assistance from Nectar Gan.

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(Updates with China’s response.)

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