The United States is facing a growing threat from Chinese-backed hackers who have been burrowing deep into the networks of critical infrastructure, including water, energy, and transportation providers. Senior U.S. national security officials describe this as an “epoch-defining threat” that could potentially disrupt major services and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities.
In January 2024, the US disrupted a Chinese hacking group called “Volt Typhoon,” which was tasked with setting the stage for destructive cyberattacks. Later in September 2024, federal authorities took control of another botnet run by a Chinese hacking group called “Flax Typhoon.” The US government also sanctioned a Beijing-based cybersecurity company for its alleged role in multiple computer intrusion incidents against US victims.
The latest development is the emergence of a new China-backed hacking group called “Salt Typhoon,” which has compromised several major US telecom and internet providers, including AT&T, Lumen, and Verizon. Salt Typhoon’s methods include gathering intelligence on Americans by compromising law enforcement wiretaps and accessing sensitive data from critical infrastructure.
The US government is taking steps to counter these threats, but the scope of the problem remains unclear. As one official noted, “a large number” of those who had data accessed were “government targets of interest.” The breach of wiretap systems potentially gained access to data and systems that house much of the US government’s data requests.
The Chinese-backed cyber threat to US critical infrastructure is a growing concern that requires immediate attention from policymakers and security experts.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/06/meet-the-chinese-typhoon-hackers-preparing-for-war