The British intelligence agency MI5 has warned that Chinese spies posing as recruitment specialists may be trying to extract state secrets from British government and military officials, writes the BBC.
A joint statement from the Five Eyes (the alliance of intelligence services of Great Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) called for caution against secret agents operating on legitimate websites such as LinkedIn, Indeed and Upwork, which offer non-existent analyst positions. People who apply for vacancies are forced to disclose information that is not available to the general public, which is later used by Chinese intelligence agencies. Five Eyes has warned that Chinese spies are trying to obtain vital military, political and economic information that could give China strategic and tactical advantages.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the UK condemned the statement, saying the allegations were completely false and a malicious smear. The embassy added that Five Eyes is the world’s largest intelligence organisation and its agents are brazenly carrying out operations around the world, making Five Eyes the real threat to peaceful nations.
The warning about Chinese activities indicates that a wide range of personnel could be targeted, from those with high-security clearance to academics and think tanks. Britain’s security minister, Dan Jarvis, called on all government and military personnel to follow official advice on how to spot potential espionage efforts online to avoid inadvertently posing a threat to national security.
The Five Eyes briefing said Chinese agents post fake job advertisements
and then screen candidates’ CVs to select those who are worth using. Virtual interviews are then conducted to determine whether the candidate has access to areas of interest to the Chinese, such as government communications or military activities. In the final round, job seekers are required to write a test report on a variety of topics, including China’s foreign relations or defense. Each report is paid several thousand dollars.
Jarvis said that in November last year, MI5 identified two LinkedIn accounts linked to China’s Ministry of State Security.
Last year, it was reported that it had invested 170 million pounds in technology upgrades and new defenses against Chinese cybercrime.
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