Suspected Chinese Hackers Impersonated Anthropic Executive in AI Espionage Campaign

A conceptual illustration of cybersecurity monitoring amid growing concerns over espionage targeting the artificial intelligence sector.

Suspected Chinese government-aligned hackers impersonated an Anthropic executive and former US government officials as part of an espionage campaign targeting experts involved in artificial intelligence policy, export controls and military applications, according to cybersecurity firm Proofpoint.

The campaign targeted email accounts belonging to AI experts at US universities, think tanks and law firms, Proofpoint said. The cybersecurity company discovered the activity and said the attackers appeared to be seeking information about how the United States is developing policies and strategies around artificial intelligence.

Proofpoint did not find evidence that the targeted organizations were successfully breached. However, the company cautioned that the activity it identified may represent only part of the broader campaign.

Hackers Targeted AI Policy Experts

The suspected hackers focused on individuals whose work could provide valuable insight into US thinking about advanced artificial intelligence and national security.

According to Proofpoint staff researcher Mark Kelly, the company assessed with confidence that the group was a Chinese government-aligned threat actor. The assessment was based on the targets' alignment with Chinese government interests, observed infrastructure and technical evidence, as well as corroboration from industry partners.

The activity reportedly occurred in February and July, at a time when artificial intelligence had become an increasingly important issue in US-China relations.

The campaign also illustrates the growing importance of people and institutions involved in AI policy. Rather than focusing exclusively on technical systems, the suspected operatives targeted individuals whose expertise could provide insight into US decisions surrounding the technology.

Former White House Official Lynne Parker Impersonated

One of the people impersonated in the campaign was Lynne Parker, a former senior technology official who served in the White House during the administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The attackers reportedly sent an email pretending to be Parker to an employee at a US law firm. The message invited the recipient to participate in what was described as an “AI policy advisory committee.”

The attackers then followed up with a document containing malware that purportedly provided additional information about the fake committee.

Parker later learned that colleagues had received suspicious emails from people claiming to be her. She said her immediate concern was for colleagues who might be targeted by the impersonation campaign.

Parker, who is now associate vice chancellor emerita at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, said the incident was particularly troubling because relationships developed throughout her career were being exploited to deceive others.

Anthropic Employee Also Used as a False Identity

The suspected operatives also impersonated a senior employee at Anthropic, the US artificial intelligence company known for developing the Claude family of AI models.

On February 26, the hackers allegedly sent an email in the employee's name to an AI policy analyst at a US think tank. The subject line referred to “Request for Feedback on Military Integration of Claude.”

According to Proofpoint, the attackers attempted to use the email exchange to obtain the think tanker's email credentials.

The timing was notable. One day later, the Trump administration ordered federal agencies and military contractors to stop doing business with Anthropic after the company declined to allow the Pentagon to use its artificial intelligence technology without restrictions.

AI Becomes a Growing US-China Security Battleground

The reported hacking campaign comes amid increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing over artificial intelligence.

President Donald Trump discussed AI with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House the previous week, although the meeting did not result in a substantive agreement on the technology. Trump has also opposed calls for additional guardrails on advanced AI models, citing concerns that excessive restrictions could leave the United States behind China in the global AI race.

The Trump administration had also accused Chinese AI companies of engaging in what it described as “industrial-scale” theft of American companies' trade secrets. China denied those allegations.

US allies have raised similar concerns. Britain's MI5 intelligence service said that British academics had contributed research involving AI and cybersecurity to a Chinese institute with close connections to Chinese intelligence. The advisory noted that some researchers may not have known about those connections.

Hackers Are Targeting the Broader AI Ecosystem

Experts tracking Chinese cyber operations say the focus extends beyond individual AI companies.

Potential targets include the semiconductor industry, AI researchers, policymakers and institutions involved in the development and governance of artificial intelligence. The breadth of the targeting reflects the strategic value of AI expertise as governments compete over technological leadership.

According to experts cited in the report, maintaining US competitiveness in artificial intelligence will depend not only on technological development but also on protecting the wider ecosystem from infiltration.

Parker emphasized that AI policy has implications beyond technology itself.

“Getting AI policy right is essential to our national security and economic competitiveness,” Parker said. She added that protecting the people and institutions whose expertise informs those decisions is an important part of that effort.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, was contacted for comment, according to the source report. China has regularly denied US allegations of hacking and cyber espionage.

For now, Proofpoint has not identified evidence that the targeted organizations were successfully compromised. But the discovery highlights how AI policy experts, researchers and technology companies are increasingly becoming targets in the broader competition over artificial intelligence.

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