US Cybersecurity Agency Director Warns of Chinese Cyber Sabotage

A senior cybersecurity official in the United States warned on Monday that Chinese hackers would certainly disrupt critical US infrastructure, such as oil pipelines and railways, in the event of a conflict between the two countries. According to Reuters, Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity Agency, stated at the Aspen Institute in Washington that Beijing is making significant investments to enhance its capabilities for sabotaging US infrastructure. She said, 'In my opinion, this is a real threat that we need to prepare for, focus on, and strengthen our dynamics against.' She added, 'Given the terrifying nature of the threats posed by Chinese state leaders, their capabilities, and the significant resources and efforts they are putting into this, preventing disruption for us will be very, very difficult.' The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on these remarks. Easterly's comments were in response to a question about a Chinese hacker group known as 'Storm-0558' (Volt Typhoon), which US officials and cybersecurity companies have accused of preparing for cyberattacks in the event of a conflict. Microsoft stated about three weeks ago that it had discovered covert and targeted malicious activities aimed at cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the United States. In this statement, Microsoft referred to a Chinese company that is state-supported and typically focuses on espionage and information gathering, indicating that this Chinese company is likely developing capabilities to disrupt critical communication infrastructure between the United States and the Asia region during future crises. The Chinese government deleted 1.4 million posts from social media users. A Reuters investigative report stated that the hacker group 'Storm-0558' targets the United States. China sentenced an American citizen to life imprisonment on charges of 'espionage.'