The House Select Committee on China has formally issued an advisory warning of an “ongoing” series of highly targeted cyber espionage campaigns linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) amid contentious U.S.–China trade talks.
“These campaigns seek to compromise organizations and individuals involved in U.S.-China trade policy and diplomacy, including U.S. government agencies, U.S. business organizations, D.C. law firms and think tanks, and at least one foreign government,” the committee said.
The committee noted that suspected threat actors from China impersonated Republican Party Congressman John Robert Moolenaar in phishing emails sent to trusted counterparts with an aim to deceive them and trick them into opening files and links that would grant them unauthorized access to their systems and sensitive information without their knowledge.
The end goal of the attacks was to steal valuable data by abusing software and cloud services to cover up traces of their activity, a tactic often adopted by state-sponsored hackers to evade detection.
“This is another example of China’s offensive cyber operations designed to steal American strategy and leverage it against Congress, the Administration, and the American people,” said Moolenaar, who is also the Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Communist Party of China (CCP). “We will not be intimidated, and we will continue our work to keep America safe.”
The statement comes days after a report from The Wall Street Journal, which revealed on September 7, 2025, that several trade groups, law firms, and U.S. government agencies received an email message from Moolenaar asking their input on proposed sanctions against China.
“Your insights are essential,” the contents of the message allegedly read, along with an attachment containing a draft version of the legislation that, when launched, deployed malware to gather sensitive data and gain entrenched access to the targeted organizations.
The attack is believed to be the work of APT41, a prolific hacking group known for its targeting of diverse sectors and geographies for cyber espionage.
“China firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime,” the Chinese embassy in Washington told Reuters in a statement. “We also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidence.”
“By impersonating Rep. Moolenaar (R-MI), a known Beijing critic, the attackers created urgency and legitimacy that encouraged fast responses,” Yejin Jang, vice president of government affairs at Abnormal AI, told The Hacker News.
“Political communication extends beyond official government devices or accounts. Sophisticated adversaries understand this reality and actively exploit it. By masquerading as trusted officials through personal or non-official channels, attackers bypass traditional security controls while amplifying authenticity.”
The committee also noted that the campaign follows another…
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