Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-backed hackers are targeting U.S. infrastructure, such as water treatment facilities and electrical grids, to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities,” FBI Director Christopher Wray is expected to tell Congress Wednesday.
Wray will be joined by other national security officers — including Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly — at a congressional hearing on Chinese hacking threats.
Statements obtained by CBS News show that Wray is set to explain that crucial infrastructure, also including gas pipelines and transportation systems, is vulnerable to CCP cyber attacks.
Excerpts of Wray’s remarks published by the outlet include the director saying, “There has been far too little public focus on the fact that [People’s Republic of China] hackers are targeting our critical infrastructure.”
“The risk that poses to every American requires our attention — now,” Wray’s remarks continue.
He is expected to alert Congress to China “actively attacking our economic security, engaging in wholesale theft of our innovation, and our personal and corporate data.”
“They target our freedoms, reaching inside our borders, across America, to silence, coerce, and threaten our citizens and residents.”
Microsoft security researchers discovered a China-based hacking operation dubbed “Volt Typhoon” in 2023, though it had been active since mid-2021.
Researchers determined it “could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises,” CBS reported.
“Activity by the China-based hacking group reportedly alarmed U.S. officials, given its proximity to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam,” the outlet stated. “China has ramped up its military activities near the island in recent years in response to what Beijing claims is ‘collusion’ between Taiwan and the U.S.”
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI targeted the Volt Typhoon hackers and gained authorization to disable aspects of their operation remotely.
