Chinese hackers pose biggest espionage threat to tech firms, CrowdStrike says
CrowdStrike reported that China-linked hackers posed the largest espionage threat to tech firms in the past year, targeting AI and intellectual property, while the Chinese Embassy denied the claims. The report also highlighted North Korean, Russian, and Iranian cyber threats, alongside a 30% rise in financially motivated hacking activity against technology companies.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, released a report on June 9 indicating that China-linked hackers were the biggest espionage threat to technology companies over the past year. The report, covering April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, aligns with China’s strategic priorities, focusing on AI development, intellectual property, and economically valuable information. The tech sector, including hardware, software, semiconductors, and IT services, remained the most targeted industry by state-sponsored actors and cybercriminals. Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike’s senior vice president of counter adversary operations, noted the surge in AI investments heightened the risk to frontier labs and smaller model developers. He warned of an AI arms race between the US and China, with Beijing aiming for global dominance by 2030. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy previously accused China-based entities of industrial-scale campaigns to steal US-developed AI models. The report also detailed North Korean hacking operations, where operatives secure remote IT jobs under fake identities to funnel salaries to Pyongyang while gathering intelligence. Russian and Iranian-linked groups were identified as additional threats, targeting the US and other nations for intelligence and destructive malware attacks. Additionally, financially motivated hackers increased their activity by 30%, advertising access to technology firms on underground markets. The Chinese Embassy in Washington dismissed the report, stating China opposes hacking and rejects 'vilification and smears' under the guise of cybersecurity. It emphasized the need for US-China cooperation on AI governance, citing recent discussions during former President Trump’s visit. Despite the denial, CrowdStrike’s findings underscore persistent cyber threats in the tech sector.
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