Cyber(trade)war:
Paradigm Shift in Economic Espionage
PRC state-sponsored cyber espionage, historically associated with intellectual property theft, has pivoted to strategic economic and trade intelligence collection. Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) has tracked the sophisticated threat actor APT41 targeting foreign policy NGOs, trade groups, and financial institutions in the Western Hemisphere. During these campaigns, APT41 employed consistent tactics including tailored spearphishing and custom malware payloads. This talk highlights how PRC-nexus cyber espionage likely supports evolving geopolitical and economic conditions.