Chinese Spies Impersonated US Lawmaker to Deliver Malware to Trade Groups: Report  - SecurityWeek

Chinese hacking group APT41, believed to be backed by China’s Ministry of State Security, impersonated U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar in a July phishing campaign aimed at U.S. trade groups, law firms, and government agencies ahead of high-level U.S.-China trade talks. The attackers sent emails from a non-government account, requesting feedback on proposed sanctions and attaching a malware-infected file disguised as draft legislation. Google’s Mandiant determined the malware could provide deep access to targeted systems, though it’s unclear if any were compromised. The campaign coincided with a meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials in Sweden. China denied involvement, while this incident follows similar impersonation attempts in July targeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials using AI.