Chinese hackers impersonate leading AI figures to harvest credentials
Chinese state-sponsored actors are now impersonating Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, and other AI figures to steal credentials from policy advisors and researchers.
Why it matters
A coordinated phishing campaign targeting AI policy and safety figures signals a shift in espionage tactics: adversaries are now harvesting access to high-stakes advisory networks and government channels where AI governance decisions are being shaped. Practitioners and security teams need to flag lookalike domains and verify out-of-band when AI leaders invite participation in policy work.
The key facts
10 to knowPhishing emails impersonated multiple leading AI figures (names not disclosed in excerpt, but policy advisory context suggests OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind leadership)
One incident involved fake invitation to join an AI policy advisory committee
Chinese hackers attributed to the campaign
Credential harvesting as primary objective
Published October 2, 2026 by IT Pro
Chinese hackers impersonating leading AI figures
Phishing emails invited recipients to join AI policy advisory committee
Credential harvesting campaign
Targets appear to be policy-adjacent AI figures
Published 2 October 2026
Go to the source
ITProitpro.com
Publisher excerpt: One phishing incident saw email recipients invited to join an AI policy advisory committee