Lithuania Warns of Chinese Intelligence Services Using Social Media to Target Victims

Lithuania’s State Security Department issued a warning regarding the increase in activity stemming from Chinese intelligence services that are stepping up cyber espionage.

While groups based in Russia, ex-Soviet countries or North Korea are often in the news, they are not the only players with interests in other countries. Chinese intelligence is also very active and aims to collect as much information as possible via social networks, trying to determine the contact networks of specific individuals. This method leads attackers to officials, politicians, journalists, businesspeople, and scientists.

“Chinese intelligence services have also increased cyber espionage against Lithuania,” said Lithuania’s State Security Department in a press release. “Cyber actors affiliated with China regularly conduct vulnerability scans of networks of Lithuanian government institutions with the aim of penetrating their networks and exfiltrating data.”

“Currently, Chinese intelligence priorities have shifted towards Lithuania’s internal affairs, political divisions, and foreign policy. In the short term, Chinese intelligence services likely will seek to collect information on Lithuanian national elections, both presidential and parliamentary as well as the European Parliament election,” the agency added.

Authorities are saying that operatives use social networks to target potential victims, and this increase in attacks via this new vector is due to Lithuania’s ability to restrict the Chinese intelligence services from collecting information directly.

Lithuania’s State Security Department also says Lithuanian citizens traveling to China are targets as they are likely to be approached during their visits to third countries, particularly in Southeast Asia.

This kind of warning to Lithuania serves as a powerful reminder that other parties out there are interested and that social media is an extremely useful attack vector for a determined state actor.