U.S.-based cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike warned that cyberattacks aimed at stealing American artificial intelligence technology are increasingly expanding from tech-based attacks to exploitation of human-level vulnerabilities, with China-based actors playing a growing role. In June, CrowdStrike reported that Chinese entities accounted for more than half of state-sponsored intrusions targeting technology companies, especially their AI assets, in the 12 months through March 31. Matt Pearl, director of the strategic technologies program at the U.S.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, stated that as the AI race has heated up, the People's Republic of China has targeted the tech sector increasingly, aiming to narrow the three- to four-month AI gap with the U.S. The attacks range from understanding company product roadmaps to identifying supply chain weaknesses.
CrowdStrike Reports Chinese Entities Behind Over Half of AI-Targeted Intrusions
CrowdStrike stated in June that Chinese entities accounted for more than half of state-sponsored intrusions targeting technology companies, especially their AI assets, in the 12 months through March 31. Matt Pearl, director of the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said hackers have broadened their interest to anything that could narrow the three- to four-month AI gap with the U.S., ranging from understanding a company's product roadmap to identifying weaknesses in supply chains.
Anthropic Accuses Chinese Companies of AI Theft Attempts
American tech start-up Anthropic accused Chinese companies, including Alibaba, of illicit attempts to steal its AI capabilities. Alibaba did not respond to a request for comment. Anthropic announced a program called Claude Corps on June 11 to train 1,000 people in AI and match them with non-profits in the U.S.
Copyleaks Finds DeepSeek Model Resembles ChatGPT Responses
Last year, U.S.-based AI content detection startup Copyleaks said the responses generated by Chinese startup DeepSeek's R1 model resembled those produced by OpenAI's ChatGPT nearly three-quarters of the time, suggesting the open-source Chinese model may have been trained on the U.S.-developed one. Alon Yamin, CEO and co-founder of Copyleaks, stated they haven't seen the same stylistic match in other large language models. DeepSeek and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Agentiq Capital CEO Alleges Employee Sabotage
Brian Abbott, founder and CEO of U.S.-based start-up Agentiq Capital, told CNBC in June that he believed an employee he hired from China last year was an agent of Beijing who purposely altered code and website content to prevent the company from getting venture capital funding. Abbott alleged the employee replaced references to "ASI," or artificial superintelligence, with "fintech," a once-trending term that many investors have soured on. The individual was dismissed earlier this year, Abbott said, and the company filed a complaint with the FBI. CNBC was unable to independently verify the allegation.
FBI Confirms Economic Espionage Threat Costs Hundreds of Billions Annually
The FBI said in a statement to CNBC that China's economic espionage campaign is a continuing threat that costs the American economy hundreds of billions of dollars per year and puts national security at risk. The FBI stated it prioritizes investigating any potential theft of U.S. technology by foreign actors and remains unwavering in its commitment to protect the homeland. The Cyberspace Administration of China and the U.S. Department of State did not offer a comment when contacted by CNBC.
Start-ups Face Greater Cyber Poverty Risk
Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the non-profit National Cybersecurity Alliance, said capital has been a defining driver of the AI race, creating "cyber poverty lines" where small businesses lack the resources of large companies to defend against cyberattacks. Human vulnerabilities often pose the greater risk, Steinhauer said, particularly as attackers rely on "social engineering" tactics amplified by AI-powered content campaigns. Alon Yamin of Copyleaks said the company has seen a lot of cases where new employees joining the company are immediately a target of cyberattacks to get access to AI models. Isaac Stone Fish, founder and chief executive of consultancy Strategy Risks, said Beijing tends to focus more heavily on large corporations, but startups remain especially exposed since they don't necessarily have cyber expertise.
FAQ
What did CrowdStrike report about Chinese cyberattacks on AI companies?
In June, CrowdStrike reported that Chinese entities accounted for more than half of state-sponsored intrusions targeting technology companies, especially their AI assets, in the 12 months through March 31.
What did Copyleaks find about DeepSeek's AI model?
Last year, Copyleaks said the responses generated by Chinese startup DeepSeek's R1 model resembled those produced by OpenAI's ChatGPT nearly three-quarters of the time, suggesting the open-source Chinese model may have been trained on the U.S.-developed one.
How does the FBI describe China's economic espionage threat?
The FBI stated that China's economic espionage campaign is a continuing threat that costs the American economy hundreds of billions of dollars per year and puts national security at risk.
