FBI Director Chris Wray warns Congress that Chinese hackers targeting US infrastructure as US disrupts foreign botnet Volt Typhoon CBS News
pWatch CBS Newspp
By Robert Legare Olivia Gazis Nicole Sganga
pp
Updated on January 31 2024 532 PM EST
CBS News
ppWashington Hackers backed by the Chinese government are targeting US water treatment plants and electrical grids strategically positioning themselves within critical infrastructure systems to wreak havoc and cause realworld harm to American citizens and communities FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress Wednesday ppThere has been far too little public focus on the fact that PRC hackers are targeting our critical infrastructure Wray warned the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party according to excerpts of his remarks obtained by CBS News The risk that poses to every American requires our attention now ppThe head of the FBI and other national security officials including Jen Easterly who leads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are testifying at a congressional hearing focused on the cybersecurity threat posed by Chinas government ppWray told Congress that much of the framework upon which Americans rely for daily tasks like oil and natural gas pipelines and transportation systems is vulnerable to a cyberattack by hackers supported by Chinas ruling party ppThe Justice Department and FBI announced Wednesday that theyve disrupted the hacking operation known as Volt Typhoon a Chinabacked hacking operation that officials said targeted critical infrastructure in the US and other nations ppActive since mid2021 researchers at Microsoft previously determined it could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crisesppUS investigators obtained a court order to delete the botnet malware on infected routers and later took measures to prevent future reinfection Remotely disabling hackers behind cyberattacks as they did in this case is a new weapon in the US governments cyber defense arsenalppVolt Typhoon utilizes botnets networks of infected internetconnected devices that can be used to bring down sensitive targets Typically initial access is gained through unsecured home routers or modems ppThrough the course of an investigation the FBI determined the best action was to conduct a technical operation to decisively neutralize the botnet in a timely and coordinated manner a senior FBI official said curtailing the PRCs ability to further target US entities ppThe United States will continue to dismantle malicious cyber operations including those sponsored by foreign governments that undermine the security of the American people Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement WednesdayppActivity by the Chinabased hacking group reportedly alarmed US officials given its proximity to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam 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 USppThe naval port in Guam would play a critically important role in launching any US military response in the event of a Taiwanese invasion Microsoft noted at the time that Chinese intelligence and military hackers routinely prioritize espionage and the gathering of informationppLast week senior officials from the National Security Agency NSA warned that part of the PRCs strategy behind Volt Typhoon could be to distract the US in the event of conflict over Taiwan ppThis is unique in that its prepositioning on critical infrastructure on military networks to be able to deliver effects at the time and place of their choosing so that they can disrupt our ability to support military activities or to distract us to get us to focus on a domestic incident at a time when somethings flaring up in a different part of the world said Rob Joyce cybersecurity director at NSA adding that the PRC doesnt want us facing the foreign aspects of thatppThe reason its a wholeofgovernment effort is because every sector potentially is being targeted and impacted and we really have to be all in unison on how were doing mitigation added Morgan Adamski chief of the NSAs Cybersecurity Collaboration Center which works with private sector companies to detect and prevent against cyber threats ppJoyce said efforts were ongoing across the government to convince Chinas leadership that civilian targets should be out of bounds ppWe have to get to the point where PRC leadership decides that the embarrassment in the international community of being caught at this the horror of the international community that somebody would hold civilians at risk with cyber is intolerable he said ppEarlier this month the FBI and CISA also pushed out a new alert warning that Chinesemanufactured drones or UAS pose a significant risk to critical infrastructure and US national securityppThe use of Chinesemanufactured UAS in critical infrastructure operations risks exposing sensitive information to PRC authorities jeopardizing US national security economic security and public health and safety the bulletin readppOther top public officials like Attorney General Merrick Garland have also warned of the threat Chinas government poses to Americans well being economic prosperity and innovation In the last year the Justice Department has announced novel cases calling out Chinese chemical companies for aiding the fentanyl epidemic and secret Chinese police stations working to quiet Chinese dissidents living in the US ppToday and literally every day theyre actively attacking our economic security engaging in wholesale theft of our innovation and our personal and corporate data Wray told Congress Wednesday They target our freedoms reaching inside our borders across America to silence coerce and threaten our citizens and residents ppChinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in response to Wednesdays testimony The Chinese government has been categorical in opposing hacking attacks and the abuse of information technology The United States has the strongest cyber technologies of all countries but has used such technologies in hacking eavesdropping more than others We urge the US side to stop making irresponsible criticism against other countries on the issue of cybersecurityppLast year the Justice Department launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to target rival nations like China that seek to use American hightech advances to undermine national security and upset the rule of law ppUS officials are paying more attention to how foreign adversaries try to use investments to gain access to American technology and data In announcing the departments new initiative last February Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the Biden administration is looking at options to enable federal regulators to monitor the flow of American money into foreign tech sectors while making sure those funds do not advance the national security interests of other nations including China ppRobert Legare is a CBS News multiplatform reporter and producer covering the Justice Department federal courts and investigations He was previously an associate producer for the CBS Evening News with Norah ODonnellpp
First published on January 31 2024 501 AM EST
pp
2024 CBS Interactive Inc All Rights Reserved
ppCopyright 2024 CBS Interactive Inc All rights reservedp
By Robert Legare Olivia Gazis Nicole Sganga
pp
Updated on January 31 2024 532 PM EST
CBS News
ppWashington Hackers backed by the Chinese government are targeting US water treatment plants and electrical grids strategically positioning themselves within critical infrastructure systems to wreak havoc and cause realworld harm to American citizens and communities FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress Wednesday ppThere has been far too little public focus on the fact that PRC hackers are targeting our critical infrastructure Wray warned the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party according to excerpts of his remarks obtained by CBS News The risk that poses to every American requires our attention now ppThe head of the FBI and other national security officials including Jen Easterly who leads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are testifying at a congressional hearing focused on the cybersecurity threat posed by Chinas government ppWray told Congress that much of the framework upon which Americans rely for daily tasks like oil and natural gas pipelines and transportation systems is vulnerable to a cyberattack by hackers supported by Chinas ruling party ppThe Justice Department and FBI announced Wednesday that theyve disrupted the hacking operation known as Volt Typhoon a Chinabacked hacking operation that officials said targeted critical infrastructure in the US and other nations ppActive since mid2021 researchers at Microsoft previously determined it could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crisesppUS investigators obtained a court order to delete the botnet malware on infected routers and later took measures to prevent future reinfection Remotely disabling hackers behind cyberattacks as they did in this case is a new weapon in the US governments cyber defense arsenalppVolt Typhoon utilizes botnets networks of infected internetconnected devices that can be used to bring down sensitive targets Typically initial access is gained through unsecured home routers or modems ppThrough the course of an investigation the FBI determined the best action was to conduct a technical operation to decisively neutralize the botnet in a timely and coordinated manner a senior FBI official said curtailing the PRCs ability to further target US entities ppThe United States will continue to dismantle malicious cyber operations including those sponsored by foreign governments that undermine the security of the American people Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement WednesdayppActivity by the Chinabased hacking group reportedly alarmed US officials given its proximity to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam 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 USppThe naval port in Guam would play a critically important role in launching any US military response in the event of a Taiwanese invasion Microsoft noted at the time that Chinese intelligence and military hackers routinely prioritize espionage and the gathering of informationppLast week senior officials from the National Security Agency NSA warned that part of the PRCs strategy behind Volt Typhoon could be to distract the US in the event of conflict over Taiwan ppThis is unique in that its prepositioning on critical infrastructure on military networks to be able to deliver effects at the time and place of their choosing so that they can disrupt our ability to support military activities or to distract us to get us to focus on a domestic incident at a time when somethings flaring up in a different part of the world said Rob Joyce cybersecurity director at NSA adding that the PRC doesnt want us facing the foreign aspects of thatppThe reason its a wholeofgovernment effort is because every sector potentially is being targeted and impacted and we really have to be all in unison on how were doing mitigation added Morgan Adamski chief of the NSAs Cybersecurity Collaboration Center which works with private sector companies to detect and prevent against cyber threats ppJoyce said efforts were ongoing across the government to convince Chinas leadership that civilian targets should be out of bounds ppWe have to get to the point where PRC leadership decides that the embarrassment in the international community of being caught at this the horror of the international community that somebody would hold civilians at risk with cyber is intolerable he said ppEarlier this month the FBI and CISA also pushed out a new alert warning that Chinesemanufactured drones or UAS pose a significant risk to critical infrastructure and US national securityppThe use of Chinesemanufactured UAS in critical infrastructure operations risks exposing sensitive information to PRC authorities jeopardizing US national security economic security and public health and safety the bulletin readppOther top public officials like Attorney General Merrick Garland have also warned of the threat Chinas government poses to Americans well being economic prosperity and innovation In the last year the Justice Department has announced novel cases calling out Chinese chemical companies for aiding the fentanyl epidemic and secret Chinese police stations working to quiet Chinese dissidents living in the US ppToday and literally every day theyre actively attacking our economic security engaging in wholesale theft of our innovation and our personal and corporate data Wray told Congress Wednesday They target our freedoms reaching inside our borders across America to silence coerce and threaten our citizens and residents ppChinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in response to Wednesdays testimony The Chinese government has been categorical in opposing hacking attacks and the abuse of information technology The United States has the strongest cyber technologies of all countries but has used such technologies in hacking eavesdropping more than others We urge the US side to stop making irresponsible criticism against other countries on the issue of cybersecurityppLast year the Justice Department launched the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to target rival nations like China that seek to use American hightech advances to undermine national security and upset the rule of law ppUS officials are paying more attention to how foreign adversaries try to use investments to gain access to American technology and data In announcing the departments new initiative last February Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the Biden administration is looking at options to enable federal regulators to monitor the flow of American money into foreign tech sectors while making sure those funds do not advance the national security interests of other nations including China ppRobert Legare is a CBS News multiplatform reporter and producer covering the Justice Department federal courts and investigations He was previously an associate producer for the CBS Evening News with Norah ODonnellpp
First published on January 31 2024 501 AM EST
pp
2024 CBS Interactive Inc All Rights Reserved
ppCopyright 2024 CBS Interactive Inc All rights reservedp
