China-Linked Espionage Group TA419 Targets US AI Policy Experts via Anthropic Impersonation

A sophisticated cyber espionage campaign attributed to a China-aligned group has used targeted phishing impersonating Anthropic and US government officials to harvest credentials from artificial intelligence policy experts across major think tanks, universities, and law firms. The operation, attributed by Proofpoint to a group designated TA419, began in February 2026 when attackers posing as a senior Anthropic employee contacted an AI policy analyst at a major US think tank with an email titled "Request for Feedback on Military Integration of Claude," drawing on public debate about military applications of Anthropic's AI models. The campaign expanded in July 2026 to impersonate Lynne Edwards Parker, a former Principal Deputy Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and economist Heidi Crebo-Rediker, inviting targets to join fictitious "AI Policy Advisory Committee" meetings or contribute to Senate foreign relations reports on AI export controls and supply chains.