China behind 58% of state-backed cyberattacks targeting US AI tech, CrowdStrike warns

China Cyberattacks Dominate State-Sponsored Threats to Tech Sector

China-linked hackers accounted for more than 58% of state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting technology companies over the past year, according to a CrowdStrike report released Tuesday. The cybersecurity firm identified an alarming pattern of AI espionage as Chinese entities aggressively pursue artificial intelligence capabilities and intellectual property they cannot develop quickly enough domestically1

1

. The analysis, covering events from April 2025 through March 31, 2026, paints a stark picture of the espionage threat to tech firms operating in an environment of frenzied AI investment and surging valuations3

3

.

Stealing AI Capabilities Amid U.S. Restrictions on China

The hacking campaigns align directly with the Chinese Communist Party's intelligence-gathering objectives and strategic priorities around technology development2

2

. U.S. restrictions on China's access to AI training chips have constrained Beijing's tech advancement, driving the acceleration in intellectual property theft attempts. Despite these limitations, homegrown Chinese AI models have emerged, slashing operating costs while offering nearly equivalent intelligence to Western counterparts1

1

. CrowdStrike identified specific threat groups including SUNRISE PANDA focusing on East and Southeast Asian tech firms, MURKY PANDA launching password-spraying attacks against hundreds of mostly U.S.-based organizations, and WARP PANDA repeatedly exploiting vulnerabilities at North American tech companies to maintain long-term access2

2

.

The AI Arms Race Intensifies Between Superpowers

"There is an AI arms race occurring between the U.S. and China, and China intends to achieve global dominance by 2030," said Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike's senior vice president and head of counter adversary operations3

3

. The threat extends beyond major frontier labs like Anthropic and OpenAI—which complained earlier this year about Chinese companies extracting competitive intelligence—to smaller, domain-specific model developers as well1

1

. On April 23, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy accused China-based entities of "deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns" to surreptitiously distill U.S.-developed models for their own purposes3

3

.

North Korean Hackers and Other State Actors Join the Hunt

Beyond China, North Korean hackers posed a major threat through a sophisticated scheme involving fake identities to secure remote IT jobs at technology companies. These operatives funnel salaries back to the Pyongyang government while their positions provide footholds for intelligence collection3

3

. CrowdStrike found North Korea-affiliated entities attempted to infiltrate IT workforces across North America, Europe and Asia, primarily to generate revenue for the regime1

1

. Russian hacking groups and Iranian hacking groups also heavily target technology sectors for intelligence collection and destructive malware attacks3

3

.

Rising Financially Motivated Cybercrime Compounds the Threat

The CrowdStrike report highlighted a 30% increase in advertisements from hackers selling access to various targets, indicating growing financially motivated cybercrime targeting technology firms3

3

. The technology sector remained the most targeted industry by both foreign governments and cybercriminals, encompassing companies that research, develop or distribute computer hardware, IT services, semiconductors, and software. The Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed the report, stating that "China opposes hacking activities" and rejects "vilification and smears under the pretext of cybersecurity," while noting that during Trump's recent visit, both heads of state had constructive exchanges on AI and agreed to launch government-to-government dialogue3

3

. Tech companies should watch for persistent access attempts exploiting vulnerabilities, password-spraying campaigns, and insider threats from compromised remote workers as the competition for AI dominance intensifies.