FBI Warns Chinese Hackers Are Poised to Hit US Infrastructure Anytime With ‘Devastating Blow’
Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic,’ FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
4/18/2024
Updated:
4/19/2024
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that hackers linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have infiltrated America’s critical infrastructure and are biding their time as they wait for the right moment to strike a “devastating blow.”
Mr. Wray said in an April 18 speech at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, that the threats posed by China-sponsored hackers are no longer a matter that’s over the horizon but that “they’re upon us now.”
“A few years ago, we might have said China represents the most significant long-term threat,” he said. “That’s no longer the best way to describe the danger.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) assessed last year that the Chinese regime was busy building the capacity to deter American intervention in a looming crisis between China and Taiwan by 2027. But that timeline has been accelerated, Mr. Wray said, noting that some of the effects of the enormous CCP-backed hacking enterprise are already being felt today.
An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon has burrowed into numerous U.S. companies in various critical sectors including telecommunications, energy, and water, with 23 pipeline operators targeted, Mr. Wray said. With a hacking program that is larger than every other major nation combined, China is developing the ability to physically attack critical U.S. infrastructure at a time of its choosing, he warned.
“Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic,” he said.
A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson has denied state involvement in Volt Typhoon operations, describing it as a criminal ransomware group.
China’s Embassy in Washington has accused the United States of “politicizing cybersecurity issues” and using the origin-tracing of cyberattacks as a tool to “hit and frame China.”
‘Devastating Blow’
U.S. cyber intelligence became aware as far back as 2011 that CCP-sponsored hackers were pre-positioned for potential cyberattacks against U.S. oil and gas companies, the FBI chief said.
Even though the FBI and other agencies have been countering this growing threat for years, China-backed hacking groups have proliferated and been bolstered by the CCP’s military and intelligence agencies’ growing use of artificial intelligence to ramp up its operations, he added.
“To give you a sense of the scale of China’s cyber activity, if all of the FBI’s cyber agents and cyber intelligence analysts focused exclusively on China—and not on ransomware, Iran, or Russia—Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1,” Mr. Wray said. “And that’s probably a conservative estimate.”
While in the past much of the CCP-backed hacking was focused on intellectual property theft to get a leg up on America economically, Mr. Wray warned that as China–Taiwan tensions build, Beijing is now positioning its enormous hacking enterprise to do real damage to U.S. critical infrastructure.
He said that Volt Typhoon-linked hackers have penetrated a bevy of critical energy, water, and telecommunications sectors, and they’re lying in wait for the right moment to strike.
“They were hiding inside our networks, using tactics known as ‘living-off-the-land’—essentially, exploiting built-in tools that already exist on victim networks to get their sinister job done, tools that network defenders expect to see in use and so don’t raise suspicions—while they also operated botnets to further conceal their malicious activity and the fact that it was coming from China,” he explained.
“All this, with the goal of giving the Chinese government the ability to wait for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow,” he warned.
The type of specific targeting of critical infrastructure that Mr. Wray described is in addition to indiscriminate China-backed cyber campaigns that hit not just key infrastructure but also thousands of other victims.
He cited the 2021 Microsoft Exchange cyberattack, which compromised over 10,000 U.S. networks, as one particularly egregious recent example.
“I’m talking about everything from indiscriminate hacking to economic espionage to transnational repression to fentanyl and the precursor chemicals that are coming out of China and ending up in our communities,” Mr. Wray said of the broader Chinese threat.
“What we’re facing today is the CCP throwing its whole government into undermining the security of the rule-of-law world,” he added, while warning that the CCP’s targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure is both “broad and unrelenting.”
In a bid to mitigate the persistent and growing threat from CCP-backed hackers, private companies need to be more vigilant and fortify their networks, he urged.
“The threats America faces—from the PRC [People’s Republic of China] and many others besides—are immense,” he said.
“Our way of life—and, in some cases, our very lives—need defending,” he added.
His remarks come as China has taken an increasingly provocative stance against Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province and vows to one day reunify with the mainland, by force if need be.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/fbi-warns-chinese-hackers-are-poised-to-hit-us-infrastructure-anytime-with-devastating-blow-5632445?utm_source=Morningbrief&src_src=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2024-04-20&src_cmp=mb-2024-04-20&utm_medium=email&est=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAbOw4fRoezNLo4bIHsitaBLnwTdYUIEaUjabX%2BgnCPLEl
Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic,’ FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
4/18/2024
Updated:
4/19/2024
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that hackers linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have infiltrated America’s critical infrastructure and are biding their time as they wait for the right moment to strike a “devastating blow.”
Mr. Wray said in an April 18 speech at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, that the threats posed by China-sponsored hackers are no longer a matter that’s over the horizon but that “they’re upon us now.”
“A few years ago, we might have said China represents the most significant long-term threat,” he said. “That’s no longer the best way to describe the danger.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) assessed last year that the Chinese regime was busy building the capacity to deter American intervention in a looming crisis between China and Taiwan by 2027. But that timeline has been accelerated, Mr. Wray said, noting that some of the effects of the enormous CCP-backed hacking enterprise are already being felt today.
An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon has burrowed into numerous U.S. companies in various critical sectors including telecommunications, energy, and water, with 23 pipeline operators targeted, Mr. Wray said. With a hacking program that is larger than every other major nation combined, China is developing the ability to physically attack critical U.S. infrastructure at a time of its choosing, he warned.
“Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic,” he said.
A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson has denied state involvement in Volt Typhoon operations, describing it as a criminal ransomware group.
China’s Embassy in Washington has accused the United States of “politicizing cybersecurity issues” and using the origin-tracing of cyberattacks as a tool to “hit and frame China.”
‘Devastating Blow’
U.S. cyber intelligence became aware as far back as 2011 that CCP-sponsored hackers were pre-positioned for potential cyberattacks against U.S. oil and gas companies, the FBI chief said.
Even though the FBI and other agencies have been countering this growing threat for years, China-backed hacking groups have proliferated and been bolstered by the CCP’s military and intelligence agencies’ growing use of artificial intelligence to ramp up its operations, he added.
“To give you a sense of the scale of China’s cyber activity, if all of the FBI’s cyber agents and cyber intelligence analysts focused exclusively on China—and not on ransomware, Iran, or Russia—Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1,” Mr. Wray said. “And that’s probably a conservative estimate.”
While in the past much of the CCP-backed hacking was focused on intellectual property theft to get a leg up on America economically, Mr. Wray warned that as China–Taiwan tensions build, Beijing is now positioning its enormous hacking enterprise to do real damage to U.S. critical infrastructure.
He said that Volt Typhoon-linked hackers have penetrated a bevy of critical energy, water, and telecommunications sectors, and they’re lying in wait for the right moment to strike.
“They were hiding inside our networks, using tactics known as ‘living-off-the-land’—essentially, exploiting built-in tools that already exist on victim networks to get their sinister job done, tools that network defenders expect to see in use and so don’t raise suspicions—while they also operated botnets to further conceal their malicious activity and the fact that it was coming from China,” he explained.
“All this, with the goal of giving the Chinese government the ability to wait for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow,” he warned.
The type of specific targeting of critical infrastructure that Mr. Wray described is in addition to indiscriminate China-backed cyber campaigns that hit not just key infrastructure but also thousands of other victims.
He cited the 2021 Microsoft Exchange cyberattack, which compromised over 10,000 U.S. networks, as one particularly egregious recent example.
“I’m talking about everything from indiscriminate hacking to economic espionage to transnational repression to fentanyl and the precursor chemicals that are coming out of China and ending up in our communities,” Mr. Wray said of the broader Chinese threat.
“What we’re facing today is the CCP throwing its whole government into undermining the security of the rule-of-law world,” he added, while warning that the CCP’s targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure is both “broad and unrelenting.”
In a bid to mitigate the persistent and growing threat from CCP-backed hackers, private companies need to be more vigilant and fortify their networks, he urged.
“The threats America faces—from the PRC [People’s Republic of China] and many others besides—are immense,” he said.
“Our way of life—and, in some cases, our very lives—need defending,” he added.
His remarks come as China has taken an increasingly provocative stance against Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province and vows to one day reunify with the mainland, by force if need be.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/fbi-warns-chinese-hackers-are-poised-to-hit-us-infrastructure-anytime-with-devastating-blow-5632445?utm_source=Morningbrief&src_src=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2024-04-20&src_cmp=mb-2024-04-20&utm_medium=email&est=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAbOw4fRoezNLo4bIHsitaBLnwTdYUIEaUjabX%2BgnCPLEl
Today at 6:53 am by Rocky
» MM&C The Iraqi Private Banks Association told NEWS: These are the results of the Prime Minister’s me
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The general amnesty law will be passed
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» A change in the fuel smuggling map... “control” over the central ports and “laxity” in the north
Today at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani takes three urgent decisions to block the wheat mafias in Iraq
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Electricity embarks on an 11-axis plan to develop the energy sector
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» “Thug and smuggler.” A female representative talks about a crocodile in Parliament blackmailing exec
Today at 6:37 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani told the US State Department: Iraq is keen to strengthen its democratic system
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $275 million at auction today
Today at 6:34 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Commerce stresses the observance of the Iraqi standard in the supply of goods
Today at 6:33 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank announces its participation in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdis
Today at 6:32 am by Rocky
» Iraq adopts an advanced system to combat money laundering and terrorist financing
Today at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Increase in Euphrates River levels due to Turkish water releases
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Demands the need to legislate the capital law
Today at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Parliament decided to extend the legislative term by one month
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» A bank participating in the process of localizing the salaries of employees in the region
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary request to the Ministry of Finance regarding defense mobilization dues/document
Today at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Dollar prices in Baghdad and Kurdistan today
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed decides to increase the ceiling for granting “construction” loans to 75 million dinars
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» A government plan to expand the construction of water harvesting dams
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Frozen or banned? An Iranian official reveals the fate of Tehran’s money in Baghdad
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Trade Bank participates in the process of localizing the salaries of Kurdistan Region empl
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Finance confirms the Iraqi government's desire to benefit from the expertise of French companies
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» After targeting its branch in Kurdistan... Dana Gas announces a decrease in its profits to $38 milli
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary understanding to extend the legislative term to approve the 2024 budget schedules
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Stopping the Commission’s procedures regarding the region’s elections
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Foreign oil companies violate Iraqi laws
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament depends on the political agreement
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Ministry of Finance decides to send the April salary to the Kurdistan region
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» It did not reach the Council.. Parliament determines the mechanisms for dealing with the 2024 budget
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» 88 projects awaiting resolution.. What will happen to the stalled laws in Parliament? - Urgent
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the US Undersecretary of State
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» It did not reach the Council.. Parliament determines the mechanisms for dealing with the 2024 budget
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Advisor to Al-Sudani: Sanctions on 32 private banks caused financial problems inside Iraq (video)
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» An expert comments on the use of the Iraqi currency in commercial transactions with Iran
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Why does Iraq depend on foreign banks for dollar transfers?
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The fuel smuggling map in Iraq has “radically changed” from what it was years ago
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Petroleum Products announces a decrease in gasoline imports by about 8 million liters
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: Collections will shift almost completely to electronic payment in the middle of
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Complete decisions of the Council of Ministers session
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the first meeting to restructure the government apparatus
Today at 4:47 am by Rocky
» The National University holds its second international scientific conference with the participation
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary proposals to extend the legislative term of the House of Representatives to resolve th
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Hanoun: We are working on preparing a six-year strategy to combat corruption based on technology
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» The Ministerial Council for the Economy decides to stop the import of 6 crops due to their abundance
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Minister of Industry: He turned to Chinese companies to supply Iraq with spongy iron ores
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» A foreign report reveals the existence of an undeclared Iraqi-British agreement regarding asylum see
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» “Fares Issa” visits the Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Region
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani: We want to address all problems with Iran and begin a new phase of relations
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» The position of Speaker of Parliament.. Representatives confirm: “There is no amendment to the bylaw
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Demands to put an end to foreign workers
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Iranian official: We do not have frozen funds in Iraq
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Entering 31 countries in the world without a visa.. A look at the Iraqi passport during 2024
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» An Iranian plan to export goods to Iraq worth $3 billion
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» The Board of Commissioners decides to suspend the technical and financial procedures for the Kurdist
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Baghdad Governorate approves the two paths of the development road
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Mawazine publishes the full decisions of the Council of Ministers at its session today
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Asaib: The Sunnis are accustomed to having an external actor leading them
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad: The Sudanese government enjoys the support of the Shiite and Sunn
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Politician: Representatives of Taqadum “hurt” Al-Halbousi and their party
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» “Deficit” is the password.. Parliamentary Finance decodes the budget delay
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The tourism sector will be a substitute resource for oil in the coming years
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Finance confirms the Iraqi government's desire to benefit from the expertise of French companies
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» utube 5/4/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar- IQD Update - No Float of Exchange Rate - Budget -2024 - Schedules -
Yesterday at 5:10 pm by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Yesterday at 8:06 am by Rocky
» A deputy in finance expects the Council of Ministers to approve the budget schedules in today’s sess
Yesterday at 8:02 am by Rocky
» A deputy resolves the controversy over the “transfer supplement” in two ministries
Yesterday at 8:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Halbousi’s “vacant” seat.. Will the coordination framework end the “Taqaddum” dream of an allianc
Yesterday at 7:59 am by Rocky
» The Federal Government issues a state order to stop the Commission’s work procedures regarding the K
Yesterday at 7:57 am by Rocky
» Including the freedom to choose the bank and withdraw the salary for “free”... “My Account” features
Yesterday at 7:55 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $250 million during its daily auction
Yesterday at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives a delegation from the Union of Arab Banks
Yesterday at 7:44 am by Rocky
» Iraq and the United States of America hold trade meetings in Washington
Yesterday at 7:43 am by Rocky
» In pictures... The activities of the Union of Arab Banks conference in Baghdad, “Day Two”
Yesterday at 7:42 am by Rocky
» The Director General of Ports announces the completion of berths (3) and (4) in Al-Faw Grand Port
Yesterday at 7:40 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers holds its regular session headed by Al-Sudani
Yesterday at 7:38 am by Rocky
» Parliament publishes the agenda of its session for next Thursday
Yesterday at 7:37 am by Rocky
» A government measure to reduce "money laundering" using the buying and selling of real estate in Ira
Yesterday at 7:35 am by Rocky
» Iraq proposes establishing a specialized council to combat corruption in Arab countries
Yesterday at 7:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Mawarid intends to establish infrastructure and investment projects for the water sector in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:30 am by Rocky
» The Federal Court issues a decision regarding postponing the election of the Speaker of the House of
Yesterday at 7:28 am by Rocky
» A government meeting to discuss financing and implementation mechanisms for the Development Road Pro
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraqi banks are on the right track with financial transfers
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Khazali: The Turkish side is still imposing its conditions on Iraq
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Rights: We refuse to amend the bylaws of Parliament under political influence and desires
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani: We want to address all problems with Iran and begin a new phase of relations
Yesterday at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Today, Iraq and Iran signed the minutes of a joint meeting related to trade
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» KPMG International begins auditing the revenues of telephone companies operating in Iraq
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Oil: The seventh batch of equipment for the gas manufacturing project in the Nasiriyah and Gharraf f
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani assures the French ambassador of Iraq’s openness to “fruitful” partnerships
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Government move to install gold screening devices at 4 airports
Yesterday at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Sudanese Advisor: The oil sector is witnessing a rapid renaissance
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Opening offices specialized in employing people with disabilities
Yesterday at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Infrastructure and investment projects for the water sector in Iraq
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Adopting the electronic system in the next census
Yesterday at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the first meeting to restructure the government apparatus
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Business Council: Efforts to open a branch of the Chinese Bank in Iraq
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Iraqi diplomacy is balanced openness
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky