U.S. authorities are probing a fake email, disguised as coming from a Republican lawmaker, that carried malware allegedly designed to give China access to details of the Trump administration’s trade negotiations with Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
The bogus message, traced by cybersecurity analysts to the hacking group APT41, was sent in July to U.S. trade groups, law firms, and government agencies. Analysts believe the attack was aimed at giving Beijing insight into Trump administration trade talks with China, according to the report.
Moolenaar, a vocal critic of Beijing and chair of a congressional committee on U.S.-China strategic competition, described the incident as another attempt by China to infiltrate American strategy. “We will not be intimidated,” he told the Journal.
The email, which invited recipients to review draft legislation, carried malware capable of granting hackers deep access to targeted organisations once opened. It surfaced just before U.S.-China trade talks in Sweden that extended a tariff truce until November, when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were expected to meet at an Asian economic summit.
The Chinese embassy in Washington said it was not aware of the specific incident but insisted Beijing opposes all cyberattacks. “We also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidence,” it said in a statement.
The FBI confirmed it was aware of the situation and was working with partners to track those responsible. The U.S. Capitol Police have also launched an investigation, though they declined to comment publicly.
The attack came to light when Moolenaar’s staff began receiving inquiries about the suspicious message, the Journal reported. It remains unclear whether the malware successfully compromised any systems.
