United States Blocks Chinese Cyber Threat

istockphoto-476767919-612x612 — Hacking China concept with hand wearing black leather glove pressing enter key with flag overlaid

(VitalNews.org) – United States officials say that they blocked a China-backed hacking operation that was targeting civilians. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that these cyber hacking attempts may continue, especially if the United States goes to war with China.

Volt Typhoon, which is a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, supposedly was looking to attack public sector facilities, including transportation, electric, water treatment plants, and oil and natural gas companies.

FBI Director, Christopher Wray, said on Wednesday that Beijing is putting itself in a position to strike America in a way that would disrupt many Americans’ daily lives. He addressed the situation, saying that there hasn’t been enough public exposure regarding the potential Chinese hacking.

According to Wray, “China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike.”

Chinese hackers were able to hijack hundreds of routers in offices and homes owned by citizens and companies, according to the FBI. They said that these particular routers were easy targets as they weren’t supported by security or software updates. The hackers were said to use a few different means to hack, including cloud and internet providers, since they could disguise themselves as normal traffic.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice officials both said that thanks to search and seizure orders, they were able to block at least some of the attempts of the Volt Typhoon operation.

There is concern that Chinese hackers will increase their attempts to hack American technology and highly important companies, including water companies, electric companies, and more that could disrupt the lives of millions of Americans. Officials are pushing for more focus on the threat of these cyber attacks as they can affect many Americans; officials say it could also induce “societal panic and chaos.”