Bill Drexel, an associate fellow for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), recently spoke to Federal Newswire about the need for the U.S. to maintain sufficient resources and keep the public informed of cyberattacks as a strategy to discourage Chinese cyberaggression. This comes in response to FBI Director Christopher Wray's comments during a Congressional hearing that Chinese cyber actors significantly outnumber the FBI's cyber personnel.
"The United States must ensure it has the personnel and resources to adequately defend against—and deter—cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure," said Drexel. "Given the differing speeds of government and technological change (including quickly emerging cybersecurity challenges from AI) that may be an uphill battle, but one very much worth fighting. The United States government should also continue to strategically release information about cyber-attacks from adversaries, both to warn adversaries of their consequences, and to help the American public be on its guard."
According to Wray's testimony, the FBI has over 1,000 cyber personnel across the U.S., responsible for responding to cyber "incidents". He warned that China poses a "comprehensive threat" to the U.S. economy, innovation, and national security and cautioned against diminishing the FBI's resources. Wray stated that China "uses every means at its disposal to impact our economic security – blending cyber capabilities, human intelligence, corporate transactions, and other means of attacking and exploiting U.S. companies to advance its own economic growth, national power, and military capability." The FBI is grappling with challenges related to maintaining sufficient resources to combat threats from Chinese cyber actors. Any reductions in budget would adversely affect the FBI’s computer intrusion program, undermining its ability to continue thwarting numerous threats from China before they can cause significant harm.
Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), was another witness who testified at this hearing. According to her testimony, CISA personnel have grown increasingly concerned over the past two years about a "strategic shift" taking place in Chinese cyber actors' targeting of critical U.S. infrastructure. She expressed concerns that Chinese actors, particularly a group known as Volt Typhoon, are positioning themselves to compromise critical U.S. infrastructure either as a deterrent or as a means of causing societal chaos within the U.S.
Drexel's research at CNAS focuses on technology competition and the risks of artificial intelligence in national security, as stated on the CNAS website. Before joining CNAS, Drexel was an internal displacement data officer at UN Migration and a research associate at the American Enterprise Institute. His analysis has been featured in various publications including The Wall Street Journal and Foreign Affairs.
