Chinese Hackers Impersonated AI Experts to Target US Policy Specialists

Chinese-linked hackers have reportedly been impersonating artificial intelligence (AI) experts and former US government officials in an attempt to target American policy specialists and steal their login credentials.

According to a new report by cybersecurity company Proofpoint, a China-aligned hacking group known as TA419 targeted several US policy experts in July 2026.

The hackers allegedly posed as prominent figures in the AI and technology policy space, including Lynne Edwards Parker, a former principal deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The group has reportedly been active since April 2025 and used a deceptive approach to gain the trust of its targets.

The hackers initially sent seemingly legitimate emails, including invitations to participate in an “AI Policy Advisory Committee.” Once a recipient responded, they were directed to a fraudulent login page designed to capture their usernames, passwords and other sensitive information.

The targets reportedly included experts working with think tanks, defence contractors, universities and law firms in the United States and Japan.

Proofpoint said the hackers also used a sophisticated technique in which a fake browser pop-up was displayed within a legitimate webpage.

The pop-up was designed to resemble a genuine sign-in window, making it more difficult for victims to recognise that they were being directed to a malicious system.

Although Proofpoint did not publicly identify all the individuals targeted, Reuters independently confirmed at least one of them as Alex Engler, a former White House official who now leads the Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy.

Engler told Reuters that he received one of the suspicious emails but became aware that it was fraudulent after consulting colleagues in the technology and policy sector.

The same hacking group was also reportedly involved in February 2026 efforts to impersonate a “prominent” employee of AI company Anthropic in order to target experts working on AI policy.

Proofpoint warned that TA419 is likely to continue targeting think tanks, researchers and other policy specialists. The company said the group appears to rely heavily on impersonating real-world experts and respected figures to make its messages appear credible and persuade victims to interact with malicious links or websites.

The latest campaign highlights the growing use of social engineering and identity impersonation in cyberattacks targeting individuals involved in technology, artificial intelligence and government policy.

Lynne Edwards Parker did not respond to Newsmen request for comment.

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