The US fears Chinese attacks on critical infrastructure

A senior US cybersecurity official on Monday expressed concern about the likelihood that Chinese hackers could disrupt critical US infrastructure, such as pipelines and railroads, in the event of a conflict with the United States. In a speech at the Aspen Institute in Washington, the Director of the Infrastructure Security and Cybersecurity Agency, Jen Easterly, said that Beijing is investing significantly to develop the ability to sabotage American infrastructure.

Beijing investments for the destruction of US infrastructure

Easterly stressed that the real threat is Beijing's significant investments in such disruption capacity. This is the challenge that needs to be met with preparation, focus and resilience, he said. The official warned American citizens to prepare for the likelihood of Chinese cyberattacks evading defenses and causing damage to the physical world.

The formidable threat of chinese cyberattacks

"Given the formidable nature of the threat from Chinese state actors, given the breadth of their capability and how much resources and effort they are investing, it will be very, very difficult for us to prevent any disruption," he said. No immediate response was received from the Chinese Embassy in Washington regarding a request to react to the warning.

Volt Typhoon hacker group warning and additional concerns

Easterly's comment followed a question about an alleged Chinese hacker group known as Volt Typhoon, which US officials and cybersecurity firms have accused of positioning themselves to carry out destructive cyberattacks in the event of conflict. His speech expanded on a warning released earlier this year by the US intelligence community. The latter had stated in its annual threat report that Beijing "certainly would consider carrying out aggressive cyber operations against critical US infrastructure and military targets" if Chinese decision-makers deem a major fight with the US imminent.