The House Homeland Security Committee Republicans have indicated that more information continues to emerge regarding the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ambitions related to cyberattacks. The Committee shared its statement in an August 27 post on X.
"Every day we learn more about the lengths the Chinese Communist Party will go to exercise gray-zone aggression against America in cyberspace," said the Committee. "While the PRC claims this report is ‘disinformation,' we know the truth––the CCP continues to pre-position itself in our networks, through actors like Volt Typhoon, to conduct espionage or undermine physical infrastructure in the event of conflict in the Indo-Pacific. As the CCP finds new ways to burrow into our critical infrastructure, our homeland security depends on the security of our public and private networks. Every minute we are not properly defended against new threats gives our adversaries the upper hand."
According to Reuters, Chinese hackers exploited a software bug to compromise several internet companies in the U.S. last week. Researchers at cybersecurity firm Lumen Technologies found that hackers took advantage of a weakness in Versa Director, a software program utilized for managing services for customers of Santa Clara, affecting four U.S. victims and one Indian victim.
Congressmen Mark Green (left) and Bennie Thompson (right), chair and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee
| homeland.house.gov
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), seven Chinese hackers affiliated with a hacking group called APT31 and supporting China’s Ministry of State Security were indicted in March by the DOJ for computer intrusions "targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses, and political officials in furtherance of the PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives." The conspiracy included over 10,000 malicious emails, which impacted "thousands of victims, across multiple continents," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. The targeted U.S. government officials include people working in the White House in the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury, State, as well as U.S. Senators and Representatives of both political parties.
Bill Drexel, a fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, told Federal Newswire that helping the American public understand what a cyberattack from the CCP could entail is challenging but emphasized that the impacts could be devastating. "Among the largest inhibitors to effectively mitigating Chinese cyber-attacks is the public’s appreciation of the problem," Drexel said. "Nonetheless, the effects of a successful Chinese cyber-attack on critical infrastructure could be momentous. Making the issue—and remedies—tangible to the general public remains a high priority."
The House Homeland Security Committee is led by Chairman Mark Green and Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, according to its website. The Committee was established in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
