Five Eyes security alliance warns of Chinese spy threat on job sites

China is targeting personnel linked to the English-speaking Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K and the U.S. — on job websites to get access to classified or sensitive information, the group said Wednesday

China is targeting personnel linked to the English-speaking Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K and the U.S. — on job websites to get access to classified or sensitive information, the group said Wednesday.

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In a bulletin, the Five Eyes powers highlighted an “aggressive” online recruitment strategy where spies for Chinese military intelligence pose as workers acting on behalf of private businesses or think tanks. They then allegedly advertise for bogus jobs such as foreign policy or defense analysts, before pressuring candidates to provide “non-public” information.

The alliance said Chinese agents pretending to be human resources consultants for legitimate-looking companies use websites such as LinkedIn, Indeed and Upwork to post job ads.