The U.S. military’s new Cyber Command chief and head of the National Security Agency has sounded the alarm about a stealthy Chinese cyber threat to critical American infrastructure. Unlike typical cyber intrusions that steal data or military secrets, this threat sits dormant within civilian systems, primed for disruptive attacks.
Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, who spoke with The Wall Street Journal at a security conference in Singapore, detailed the activities of a Chinese hacking network known as Volt Typhoon. The group is suspected of positioning itself within key infrastructure networks to launch future attacks.
“China has penetrated systems and then use the capabilities inside those systems to live off the land using the technical capabilities of the systems they’ve compromised to reside there or not for the purpose of intelligence collection, but to assure access in things like critical infrastructure or within Guam, areas that we know have relevance from a military perspective, but also for pre-positioning for other activities,” Haugh said.
In January, U.S. officials identified and dismantled a network of routers across the U.S. and Guam that were vulnerable due to a lack of system updates. Since 2021, Volt Typhoon has accessed critical U.S. infrastructure in communications, utilities, transportation and government sectors. Microsoft highlighted this threat last year, noting its potential to disrupt essential services like water supplies, power grids and transportation systems.
Haugh emphasized the need to protect American networks and ensure U.S. military operational security, especially in regions like the Indo-Pacific, susceptible to Chinese cyber actions. Officials are particularly concerned that during conflicts, China could exploit its covert access to launch cyberattacks harming civilians.
