At a panel by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, FBI Director Christopher Wray sounded the alarm that Chinese hackers are preparing to “…wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike.” While officials in the US government have for some time now been worried about threats posed by Chinese hackers, the fact that FBI Director Wray shared such a public warning, which came alongside additional testimony by Director Paul Nakasone of the NSA and other senior US government officials should be a significant cause for alarm.
For those concerned about our freedoms, Director Wray also went on to say that efforts by China’s hackers have also been directed to “…target our freedoms, reaching inside our borders, across America, to silence, coerce, and threaten our citizens and residents.” Indeed, it has already been the case for years now that Chinese hackers have targeted dissidents, like Uyghurs, living in the US.
For those assuming that the targets Director Wray is talking about will only have military or government importance only, the fact of the matter is that many potential attacks could well be directed at such things as water treatment plants, natural gas pipelines, transportation systems, even the electrical infrastructure of the US. In short, attacks could directly impact the things the majority of Americans rely on in their day-to-day lives. Director Jen Easterly of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency suggested that basic flaws are at the core of what China’s hackers are taking advantage of as, “…the technology underpinning our critical infrastructure is inherently insecure because of decades of software developers not being held liable for defective technology…features and speed to market have been prioritized against security.” This in turn has led to our country becoming vulnerable to cyber actions by hostile actors.
While China has previously denied allegations of hacking efforts directed against the US, there has been ample evidence in recent years that this is not the case. From 2014 and years after, China has reportedly been confirmed to have been behind targeting IT companies, telecommunications companies, academic institutions, NGOs, and pro-democracy activists in order to steal intellectual property. In this same period, they are also reported to have deployed ransomware and illegally accessed computers to mine cryptocurrency. In addition, since 2009, China has according to the US government targeted technology, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, defense, business, educational, and even gaming companies in order to steal their intellectual property and confidential business information. China even has acted to steal information on COVID-19 research, money associated with the pandemic in the US, and personal information on nearly 150 million Americans.
While President Xi Jinping of China and his government have assured the Biden administration that there will be no Chinese interference in the upcoming presidential election, and that they are committed to taking action to help reduce tensions in the relationships with the US, it remains to be seen if they follow through. Given the testimony today, the continued actions being taken by hackers associated with China likely means many officials in the US government will remain skeptical until substantive progress is demonstrated.