LONDON — MI5 issued a warning regarding recruitment campaigns on professional networking sites that target individuals with access to sensitive information. Security agencies from the U.K., U.S., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand published a coordinated advisory on Wednesday.
The advisory states that Chinese military intelligence services use online job platforms to target individuals with access to classified or privileged data. Recruiters operating under this strategy advertise for nonexistent positions, including roles for foreign policy and national defense analysts.
Applicants who respond to these advertisements are subsequently pressured to provide non-public information for government-associated clients that are not specified. Recruiters review candidate resumes to identify individuals with direct or indirect access to government information. Interviews are conducted virtually with recruiters concealing their identities while questioning candidates about government contacts and military activities.
Candidates are requested to draft trial reports on topics such as international relations, defense, or trade. Recruiters then shift communications to encrypted messaging applications to request increasingly sensitive information following these trial reports. Participants receive compensation ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per report through payment processors and cryptocurrency networks.
Targeted demographics include security clearance holders specializing in defense, foreign affairs, and intelligence operations. Military personnel stationed in the Indo-Pacific region are specifically identified as targets due to their knowledge of regional capabilities. Individuals with peripheral access to government data, including academics, journalists, freelance writers, and think tank employees, are also targeted.
The advisory notes that obtaining details on government policy or military strategies from personnel without direct classified access can compromise national security. The document warns that individuals involved in unauthorized information disclosure could face prosecution for espionage. MI5 previously reported that individuals posing as recruitment consultants have contacted at least 20,000 U.K. residents with potential employment offers. Chinese government officials have publicly rejected allegations of conducting espionage campaigns through professional networking platforms.