Professional networking sites and online job platforms being used to target Five Eyes nationals

Today, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) issued an alert with its Five Eyes domestic intelligence security partners: The Australia Security Intelligence Organization, the New Zealand Intelligence Community, the United Kingdom’s MI5, and the United States of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation. The alert highlights China’s military intelligence services’ use of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes current and former government and military personnel, as well as others with access to classified or privileged information. Ultimately, they seek to acquire privileged military, political and economic intelligence that can provide China with a strategic and tactical advantage over the Five Eyes. 

These actors use an aggressive online recruitment strategy whereby intelligence officers or their affiliates pose as employees of private consultancies, think tanks or human resources firms, and place online job advertisements for foreign policy and defence analysts (or similar). While applicants often have no direct access to classified information, successful candidates are then pressured to provide “non-public” information, which includes unclassified information on government policy, or on military strategy, capabilities and installations for unspecified clients who are associated with the Chinese government. Even a small piece of information can be collected and combined with more sensitive reporting to undermine Canada’s interests.

Certain types of data can place the lives of individuals at risk, and pose a threat to Canada’s safety, security and prosperity at the very time we are seeking to strengthen our sovereignty.

CSIS encourages Canadians who may be targeted to report any such instances to their organization’s corporate security office for further guidance and direction. CSIS’ will continue to investigate and shed light on threats such as these to ensure that Canadians are informed and have the necessary tools to make informed decisions.