China is preparing its legion of hackers to “wreak havoc” on critical US infrastructure, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned lawmakers Wednesday.
Digital hackers working for the People’s Republic of China specifically targeted America’s water treatment plants, electric grids, oil and natural gas pipelines and transportation systems, according to the FBI director, who noted that Chinese hackers far outnumbered the bureau’s cyber staff.
“Chinese hackers are positioned on top of American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American people and communities if and when China decides the time has come to strike,” Wray told the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
“To measure what we’re dealing with, the PRC has a hacking program bigger than every major country combined,” the FBI director said.
“In fact, if you took every one of the FBI’s cyber agents and intelligence analysts and focused them exclusively on the Chinese threat, Chinese hackers would still outnumber the FBI’s cyber staff by at least 50 to 1.”
Wray warned that FBI cyber and intelligence analysts are outnumbered 50 to 1 by China’s hacking powers. Annabelle Gordon – China’s CNP / MEGA hacking program is bigger than every other major country combined, according to FBI director. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Wray described the PRC’s hacking efforts as part of a “communist state’s pro-pronged attack on our national security and economy,” which he called “the defining threat of our generation.”
To highlight how common and widespread China’s hacking efforts are, Wray noted that earlier in the day the FBI identified “hundreds of routers” that had been taken over by a Chinese hacking group known as Volt Typhoon.
“The Volt Typhoon malware enabled China to conceal, among other things, pre-operational reconnaissance and network exploitation of critical infrastructure, such as our communications, energy, transport and water sectors,” he said.
Wray described the malware attack, which the bureau and its partners thwarted, as an attempt by the PRC “to seek out and prepare to destroy or degrade critical civilian infrastructure that keeps us safe and prosperous.”
“And let’s be clear, cyber threats to our critical infrastructure represent a real-world threat to our physical security,” he added.
Chinese hackers are targeting critical US infrastructure, such as the electricity grid and water treatment facilities. SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
In response to Wray’s objectionable testimony, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) said he has no doubt that the PRC’s hacking program is laying the groundwork for the next big world conflict.
“The difference here is that this has crossed the line from collecting on us and using cyber to get into our systems to putting in malware that can wipe out our systems,” Waltz said during an appearance on Fox News. “So we have to start thinking about this differently.”
Waltz went on to argue that cyberattacks against critical US infrastructure should be considered “acts of war.”
“There is no difference in sending a missile into a dam or water treatment facility than shutting it down through cyber means,” the Florida Republican said. “It’s an attack. It is an act of war. We have to start thinking about it that way.”
Wray stressed that the US must remain vigilant and actively defend itself against threats from Beijing.
“If not, China has shown it will make us pay,” he said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
