Chinese Hackers Quietly Burrow Into Critical US Infrastructure Networks
American and allied intelligence agencies recently disclosed that an advanced group of Chinese hackers has been active for as long as half a decade. They have been aiming at critical US infrastructure networks to position themselves for potentially crippling cyberattacks. The US National Security Agency, US cyber watchdog CISA, the FBI, and the Transportation Security Administration revealed the name of the group: Volt Typhoon. The group had quietly burrowed into the networks of aviation, rail, mass transit, highway, maritime, pipeline, water and sewage organizations.
Volt Typhoon Infiltrated Transportation Hubs & other Critical US Infrastructure
US officials even confirmed that the hackers have broken into computer networks at energy, transportation, and water facilities in the continental and non-continental US and its overseas territories including Guam. In one case, the hackers got access to a range of critical information on water treatment plants and water wells after breaching the IT systems at an unnamed water facility.
It is pertinent to mention here that the organizations were not identified by name. US intelligence officials had marked the hackers maintaining access and footholds within some victim IT environments for at least five years. The statement was co-signed by the respective cybersecurity agencies of Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It is the latest in a series of warnings from US officials about the “Volt Typhoon”. It would not be wrong to say that this group has drawn particular alarm as it seems geared toward sabotage rather than espionage.
A senior CISA official, Eric Goldstein, referring to the People’s Republic of China stated:
“We are extraordinarily concerned about malicious cyber activity from the PRC state-sponsored actor that the industry calls Volt Typhoon. Most of the victims we have identified have no legitimate espionage value.”
Due to the widespread nature of the hacks, several meetings were held between the White House and the private technology industry. It also included telecommunications and cloud computing companies. In these meetings, the US government requested assistance in tracking the activity.
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