Of the cybersecurity risks facing the United States today, few loom larger than the potential sabotage capabilities posed by China-backed hackers, which senior U.S. national security officials have described as an “epoch-defining threat.”
The U.S. says Chinese government-backed hackers have — in some cases for years — been burrowing deep into the networks of U.S. critical infrastructure, including water, energy, and transportation providers. The goal, officials say, is to lay the groundwork for potentially destructive cyberattacks in the event of a future conflict between China and the United States, such as over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike,” then-outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers last year.
The U.S. government and its allies have since taken action against some of the “Typhoon” family of Chinese hacking groups, and published new details about the threats posed by these groups.
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