(LibertySons.org) – China’s communist regime uses cyber criminals as a tool; that’s no secret. Western intelligence agencies have known for years that Beijing has no scruples about employing hackers to steal secrets and disrupt computer networks. However, security experts are now starting to uncover the true scale of China’s cyberwar activities –- and it has them worried.
China Threatens US Government Networks
In May 2023, the US government revealed the existence of a new Chinese cybercrime operation named Volt Typhoon. The group was discovered by analysts at tech giant Microsoft, who found it had targeted a swathe of US networks.
On February 1, the Justice Department and FBI announced they had crippled the network, which they said was designed to attack key US systems in the event of a war with China. Security expert Daniel Cuthbert, who worked on the British government’s Cyber Security Advisory Board, said the Volt Typhoon was the biggest Chinese hacking operation to date. He described it as a “very large” campaign run by the Chinese regime to break into “industrial control systems and other critical national infrastructure.”
According to Cuthbert, the Volt Typhoon is particularly dangerous because, unlike traditional hacking techniques, it uses “living off the land” technology. Most hackers try to infect target computers with malicious software, like a trojan or worm, that will let them take control of the system.
“Living off the land” attacks work differently; they use the target’s own systems against it by seizing control of system management tools and using them to carry out the attack. This doesn’t just mean the hackers don’t need to get a trojan past security software; it also makes their attacks much harder to detect, and it can be months or years before they’re noticed.
Infrastructure Was The Target
In February the US government’s cyber security agency said the organizations targeted by Volt Typhoon were “not consistent” with normal cyber-spying operations. The aim wasn’t to gather intelligence; it was to shut down critical infrastructure.
The statement revealed that targets included communications, energy, water, and wastewater utilities; disrupting them would have left the US crippled. Security expert Steve Morgan said the consequences of a Volt Typhoon attack “could have been catastrophic.” He also warned that China has a “decades-long” mission to infiltrate US computers.
According to Morgan, this time, the attacks were detected before any actual damage was done –- but they’ll try again. Morgan warned that the hacking is getting more intense every year and “there is no end in sight.” If we ever go to war with China, that war could begin online with a wave of attacks on unexpected targets.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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