FBI director Christopher Wray has said that a Chinese hacking group has infiltrated critical infrastructure systems in the US and is simply just waiting for the right moment to strike.
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Wray revealed the news at the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats and said the group behind the attacks is called Volt Typhoon, and they have infested systems that are dedicated to controlling water, energy, and telecommunications. More specifically, Volt Typhoon has gained access to 23 pipeline operators, and according to the FBI director, China is developing the “ability to physically wreak havoc on our critical infrastructure at a time of its choosing.“
Wray says China’s plan is to attack critical civilian infrastructure to induce panic among the population. “Its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic,” said Wray. Additionally, the FBI director said it was difficult to determine if these hacks are part of China’s overall intention to push the US away from defending Taiwan.
Furthermore, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the hacking group Volt Typhoon isn’t connected to China’s government and is actually part of a criminal ransomware group.
“Some in the US have been using origin-tracing of cyberattacks as a tool to hit and frame China, claiming the US to be the victim while it’s the other way round, and politicizing cybersecurity issues,” said China’s Embassy in Washington