China Using LinkedIn to Recruit Government Insiders – BankInfoSecurity

Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Social Engineering Five Eyes Agencies Document 5-Step Chinese Job Platform Spy Scheme Jennifer Lawinski • June 3, 2026     Image: Shutterstock/ISMG The intelligence agencies of the Five Eyes alliance published a rare joint bulletin Wednesday warning that China’s military intelligence services are systematically using professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed and Upwork, to recruit government and military personnel and extract classified or privileged information from Western governments. See Also: How Organizations Are Strengthening Defenses Against Scattered Spider The “Safeguarding our Secrets” alert comes from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the New Zealand Intelligence Community and Britain’s MI5. It outlines a five-step recruitment operation targeting security clearance holders, active military personnel and anyone with access to sensitive, but not necessarily classified, government information, including academics, journalists, freelance writers and think tank employees. Chinese intelligence officers pose as employees of private consulting firms, think tanks or human resources firms and post job listings for foreign policy and defense analysts on the job platforms, and then screen for applicants who could potentially have access to sensitive information. Those candidates are moved through an interview process
Read More