China’s cybersecurity threat is constantly evolving: CISA

China remains the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. critical infrastructure, but that threat has changed over the past two decades, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

“I don't think it's possible to design a fool-proof system, but I don't think that should be the goal. The goal should be to make it very difficult to break into,” Space Rogue said. says member Chris Thomas, also known as . On May 19, 1998, during testimony before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, L0pht Heavy Industries stated:

L0pht Heavy Industries participated in one of the first Congressional hearings on cybersecurity threats. Members of the group warned that it is possible to bring down the Internet in less than 30 minutes, and that creating a 100% foolproof defense system is nearly impossible. There were also difficulties in tracking where the threats were coming from.

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“Backtracking and reverse hacking is a relatively tricky area. Based on the relatively outdated protocols you're dealing with, you don't have a huge amount of information about where things came from. You just… It just means they came,” said another member of the group. , Piter Zatko, who testified under the code name “Madge”.

By the time the hearing was held, it is highly likely that China had already begun making moves. In the early 2000s, the U.S. government became aware of Chinese espionage efforts targeting government agencies. The series of operations known as Titan Rain began in 2003 and included hacks into the U.S. Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Energy. This attack did not become publicly known until several years later.

Meanwhile, current CISA Director Jen Easterly was sent to Iraq to investigate how terrorists were using new technology.

“I have first-hand experience in the world of counterterrorism, where I was deployed to Iraq and saw first-hand how terrorists use communications technology to recruit, radicalize, and operate improvised explosive devices. ” Easterly said.

CISA Director Jen Easterly (AP)

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At the time, the U.S. government was investing in cyber warfare. The Bush administration had ordered research into computer network attacks, but officials ultimately expressed concern about the scale of damage those attacks could cause. Instead, the United States shifted to a more defensive posture focused on defending against attack.

“When I was in the Army's first cyber battalion and involved in the rise of the U.S. Cyber ​​Command, we were very focused on enemies of the state,” Easterly said. “At the time, China was a real espionage threat and we were focused on that.”

Jen Easterly (left) had previously been deployed to Iraq to study how terrorists were using new communication technologies to recruit. (Jen Easterly)

The threat from China will intensify over time. China's cyber operations in the early 2000s focused primarily on espionage against government agencies, according to the Council on Foreign Relations' Cyber ​​Operations Tracker.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Missouri, warned in 2007 that “officials assess China's aggressive and widespread espionage activities as a major threat to American technology.”

By then, China had a history of spying on American innovation and using it to replicate its own infrastructure. In 2009, Chinese hackers were suspected of stealing information from Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter program. For years, China has debuted fighter jets that look and operate similar to U.S. planes.

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“China is a significant threat to the United States,” Easterly said. “We are committed to doing everything we can to identify and eliminate Chinese activity and ensure we protect critical infrastructure from Chinese cyber attackers.”

In 2010, China shifted its focus to the public sector and began targeting telecommunications companies. Operation Aurora was a series of cyberattacks in which attackers conducted phishing campaigns and compromised the networks of dozens of companies, including Yahoo, Morgan Stanley, and Google. Google left China after the hack, but has not yet brought its operations back to China. By the start of the new decade, there was evidence that China was spying on critical infrastructure in the United States and abroad.

Easterly said the United States is committed to using all means possible to identify Chinese espionage. (CISA)

“Now we see them here in the United States as a threat to conduct destructive, destructive operations. This is just an evolution, and frankly I wasn't tracking it, so I'm not looking at this operation. I was pretty surprised when it happened,” Easterly said.

The Council on Foreign Relations' Cyber ​​Operations Tracker has found that China frequently targets trade and military operations in the South China Sea, with Taiwan one of China's favorite targets over the past decade.

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“We have seen these attackers penetrate deeply into our critical infrastructure,” Easterly said. “It's not for espionage, it's not for data theft. It's specifically to be able to launch destructive or devastating attacks in the event of a Taiwan Strait crisis.”

Taiwan is the world's largest semiconductor producer, and data shows how China has spied on all companies involved in every part of its supply chain, from mines to semiconductor producers.

“A war in Asia could have a very real impact on American lives. We could see pipelines exploding, trains derailed, water contaminated. It's really part of China's plan to incite public panic so they can thwart our offensive capabilities.''This is the most serious thing I've seen in my career. It’s a threat,” Easterly said.

Unlike the United States, where partnerships are key to defense, China's public and private sectors are closely intertwined by regulation.

“At the end of the day, it's a team sport. We work very closely with our military partners in the intelligence community and the U.S. Cyber ​​Command. And we work together to ensure that we have a complete set of tools across the U.S. government. 'And of course we will work with our private sector partners,' Easterly said.

“They own much of our critical infrastructure and are on the front lines, so success in ensuring cyberspace is safe and secure requires tremendous collaboration with the private sector. It is essential to ensure strong operational cooperation.”