Chinese hackers target family members to surveil hard targets | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"To surveil security conscious politicians and dissidents, hackers linked to Beijing are increasingly targeting their spouses and relatives. \"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/china-hacking-family-members\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chinese hackers target family members to surveil hard targets\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To surveil security conscious politicians and dissidents, hackers linked to Beijing are increasingly targeting their spouses and relatives. \"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/china-hacking-family-members\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-26T22:30:09+00:00\"> <meta 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content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-79909 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/china-hacking-family-members\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.337579617834\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"30.087301587302\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/cybersecurity\/\"> <span>Cybersecurity<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> To surveil security conscious politicians and dissidents, hackers linked to Beijing are increasingly targeting their spouses and relatives. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-5.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> Security guards wait at an entrance before the second plenary session of the Chinese People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 7, 2024. (Photo by GREG BAKER \/ AFP) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"58.815315315315\"><body readability=\"119.07450271248\"><\/p>\n<p>When American prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/china-indictments-apt31-surveillance\/\">unsealed an indictment<\/a> Monday describing a sprawling Chinese hacking campaign, they revealed that when Beijing\u2019s hackers are determined to infiltrate a person\u2019s digital life, few targets are off the table \u2014 including family members.<\/p>\n<p>According to the indictment, between 2015 and 2024, a Chinese hacking group known as <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/tag\/apt31\/\">APT 31<\/a> that is linked to China\u2019s Ministry of State Security targeted thousands of U.S. and Western politicians, foreign policy experts, academics, journalists and democracy activists. In many cases, the group focused its efforts on politicians that the Chinese government \u201cperceived as being critical of PRC government policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These are generally individuals who are aware of the risk that China will try to surveil them using digital means and have tried to lock down their digital systems in response. But the same cannot always be said of their family members, and according to Monday\u2019s indictment, the APT 31 hackers used malicious email messages sent to family members of their actual targets as a reconnaissance tool. <\/p>\n<p>These emails were not necessarily laced with harmful malware or used in traditional phishing attacks; rather, they included tracking links that, if clicked, revealed a host of information about the target user, including their location, browser and operating system, the device they used, their IP address and schematic details for their network. The hackers used this reconnaissance to enable what the indictment describes as \u201cmore direct and sophisticated\u201d targeting of devices such as routers belonging to high-ranking U.S. government officials, politicians and campaign staff. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to Michael Raggi, a principal analyst at Mandiant and Google Cloud, this kind of targeting is not unheard of but still relatively rare.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say from my experience, targeting the families of political individuals in the West by actors like APT 31 is not something that I have seen with regularity in the threat landscape,\u201d Raggi said.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese efforts to control speech abroad increasingly relies on manipulating family relationships in creative ways. <\/p>\n<p>Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/china-suppress-dissent-online-zoom\/\">indicted<\/a> more than 40 individuals who were allegedly part of a scheme by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security to use thousands of fictitious social media personas to <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/zoom-china-doj-eric-yuan\/\">attack and harass Chinese nationals<\/a> living in the United States who had criticized the Chinese government. <\/p>\n<p>Dakota Cary, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council\u2019s Global China Hub, placed this kind of targeting into two buckets. The first is when China goes after dissident groups with family in and around China. In that case, the family members may be both a means to reach their ultimate target and a target in their own right for harassment or intimidation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The second bucket is \u201cpeople who have incredibly high security awareness\u201d and would otherwise count as hard security targets. This would include government officials, politicians and other groups like those targeted by APT 31. In this instance, going after members of the family or home networks may be an easier pathway to compromise than trying to hack the individual or their telecommunications provider.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s clear to see that family is explicitly on the table for China, whether that\u2019s to get through the family to a specific target or go after the family themselves,\u201d Cary, who is also a China-focused consultant for the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, told CyberScoop.<\/p>\n<p>This strategy was detailed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-12\/Chinas_Global_Police_State.pdf\">report<\/a> last year by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which describes broader efforts by the Chinese government to conduct \u201ccoercion-by-proxy\u201d of both internal and external critics through \u201charassment, hacking, attempted kidnapping, online disinformation campaigns\u201d of family members living abroad.<\/p>\n<p>Raggi cautioned that the APT 31 operations described in Monday\u2019s indictment are distinct from broader efforts by Beijing to intimidate or coerce critics abroad. Raggi described the use of tracking links as likely \u201cthe first step in a more technical attack chain targeting a politically exposed individual.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The tracking links used by APT 31 are the same kind that legitimate organizations, such as marketing agencies, might use to track engagement with their emailed content, Raggi added. A user\u2019s click wouldn\u2019t convey the kind of information that would necessarily make it easier to compromise a target\u2019s home router or help them pivot to gain access to a victim\u2019s email.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Targeting family members represents just one of the creative ways that the Chinese government targets high-value individuals. According to Monday\u2019s indictment, in some cases APT 31 operators posed as prominent journalists from CNN, Vox and other media outlets to send emails to U.S. government officials that purported to contain excerpts and links to legitimate news articles that were in fact tracking links. <\/p>\n<p>Other close associates, like employees and staff, can also provide an easier pathway to compromising an individual. Stewart McDonald, one of three members of British Parliament targeted by APT 31, noted in a press conference this week that a hacking group linked to Russia was able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2023\/feb\/08\/scottish-mp-stewart-mcdonald-emails-hacked-russia-linked-group\">gain access<\/a> to his email account last year by first breaking into the personal email account of one of his staffers and using it in a phishing attack.<\/p>\n<p> \u201cThat doesn\u2019t get talked about enough,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.4285714285714\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor\u2019s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 class=\"popular-stories__title\"> More Scoops <\/h2>\n<div class=\"popular-stories__stories\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__cards\">\n<article class=\"post-item post-item--popular-stories-cards \" readability=\"22.699501246883\">\n<figure class=\"post-item__thumbnail\"> <a class=\"post-item__thumbnail-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/openai-microsoft-apt-llm\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"484\" height=\"337\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-2.jpg?resize=484%2C337&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-ratio-16-9-md size-ratio-16-9-md wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=300,209 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=768,535 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=1024,713 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=1536,1070 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=600,418 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=241,168 241w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=484,337 484w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=969,675 969w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-6.jpg?resize=1211,843 1211w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px\"> <\/a><figcaption class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (R) greets OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during the OpenAI DevDay event on November 06, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<header class=\"post-item__meta\" readability=\"3.394495412844\">\n<h3 class=\"post-item__title\"> <a class=\"post-item__title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/openai-microsoft-apt-llm\/\"> State-backed hackers are experimenting with OpenAI models <\/a> <\/h3>\n<p> Microsoft and OpenAI say hackers from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia are exploring the use of large language models in their operations. <\/p>\n<div class=\"post-item__byline\"> <span class=\"post-item__author\"> <span>By <\/span> <a class=\"post-item__author-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/author\/elias-groll\/\"> Elias Groll <\/a> <\/span> <\/div>\n<p> <\/header>\n<p> <\/article>\n<article class=\"post-item post-item--popular-stories-cards \">\n<figure class=\"post-item__thumbnail\"> <a class=\"post-item__thumbnail-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/chinese-cyber-threats-fbi-operation-botnet\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"254\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-3.jpg?resize=254%2C168&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-ratio-16-9-sm size-ratio-16-9-sm wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=300,199 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=768,508 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=1024,678 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=1536,1017 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=600,397 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=254,168 254w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=509,337 509w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=1020,675 1020w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-7.jpg?resize=1273,843 1273w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px\"> <\/a><figcaption class=\"screen-reader-text\"> Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, Jen Easterly, Director of the Homeland Security Department\u2019s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and FBI Director Christopher Wray testify before the House (Select) Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Committee on Capitol Hill on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Committee heard from intelligence officials on China\u2019s Cyber threat to the United States. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<header class=\"post-item__meta\">\n<h3 class=\"post-item__title\"> <a class=\"post-item__title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/chinese-cyber-threats-fbi-operation-botnet\/\"> U.S. officials warn of dire Chinese cyber threats in wake of FBI operation to disrupt botnet <\/a> <\/h3>\n<div class=\"post-item__byline\"> <span class=\"post-item__author\"> <span>By <\/span> <a class=\"post-item__author-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/author\/aj-vicens\/\"> AJ Vicens <\/a> <\/span> <\/div>\n<p> <\/header>\n<p> <\/article>\n<article class=\"post-item post-item--popular-stories-cards \">\n<figure class=\"post-item__thumbnail\"> <a class=\"post-item__thumbnail-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/foreign-threats-2022-midterm-elections-declassified-report\/\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"252\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-4.jpg?resize=252%2C168&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-ratio-16-9-sm size-ratio-16-9-sm wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets-8.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\"> <\/a><figcaption class=\"screen-reader-text\"> A machine counts ballots at an elections warehouse outside of Philadelphia on Nov. 8, 2022. (Photo by ED JONES\/AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<header class=\"post-item__meta\">\n<h3 class=\"post-item__title\"> <a class=\"post-item__title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/foreign-threats-2022-midterm-elections-declassified-report\/\"> Chinese, Russian interference attempts on 2022 midterms didn\u2019t impact voting, intelligence agencies say <\/a> <\/h3>\n<div class=\"post-item__byline\"> <span class=\"post-item__author\"> <span>By <\/span> <a class=\"post-item__author-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/author\/matt-bracken\/\"> Matt Bracken <\/a> <\/span> <\/div>\n<p> <\/header>\n<p> <\/article>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/div>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div 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{"id":2795,"date":"2024-03-26T17:30:09","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T22:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=79909"},"modified":"2024-03-26T17:30:09","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T22:30:09","slug":"chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/03\/26\/chinese-hackers-target-family-members-to-surveil-hard-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese hackers target family members to surveil hard targets"},"content":{"rendered":"