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18h ago

House Panel Says CCP-Linked Operation Impersonated Rep. Moolenaar in Trade-Talk Phishing

The FBI opened a probe after forensic clues pointed to APT41 malware in emails seeking input on a fake China sanctions draft.

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Lit only by a small task-light in a dark room Joe Stewart works in front of five monitors with multiple windows one each at his Dell SecureWorks office in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. Stewart has been working mapping the digital weapons and organizations behind China's vast cyber espionage effort against US and European corporations. Photographer: Stephen Morton/Bloomberg
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Overview

  • Committee investigators said multiple recent emails from a nongovernment account posed as Rep. John Moolenaar to push malware and credential traps tied to US–China trade discussions.
  • Targets included US government agencies, business groups, law firms, think tanks, and at least one foreign government, according to the panel.
  • A technical review cited abuse of software and cloud services to mask activity, with separate reporting linking the tooling to the Chinese-associated threat actor APT41.
  • The committee alerted the FBI and US Capitol Police, and the FBI confirmed it is working with partners to identify and pursue those responsible.
  • Officials said they have not determined whether any intrusions succeeded, and China’s embassy denied the allegations while the panel shared indicators from related campaigns with federal partners.