OAN’s Brooke Mallory
12:26 PM – Friday, April 19, 2024
FBI Director Christopher Wray says hackers with ties to the Chinese government are waiting for the perfect opportunity to “wreak havoc” on critical U.S. infrastructure.
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Speaking at Vanderbilt University, Wray said a number of U.S. companies in critical sectors such as energy and water have been compromised by the Chinese hacker group Bolt Typhoon.
Mr. Wray said China “can physically destroy our critical infrastructure at any time it chooses.” Reuters.Hackers plan “on the ground”[ing] “We hit civilian infrastructure weakly to try to cause panic,” he added.
The purpose of the preparations is unclear, but Lei said it is consistent with China’s larger objective of deterring the United States from defending Taiwan.
However, earlier this week, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Bolt Typhoon does not belong to the Chinese government, but to a criminal ransomware organization. Reuters Security researchers at Google and Microsoft have previously linked Bolt Typhoon to China.
Ray said hackers are infiltrating servers and computers around the world to hide their activities.
Additionally, Microsoft revealed in the report About a year ago, Bolt Typhoon gained access to the network systems and login credentials of an American critical infrastructure organization. Since mid-2021, Typhoon Bolt has affected industries such as government, information technology, manufacturing, communications, utilities, transportation, construction, and maritime.
Microsoft says the group works to “access” corporate networks and monitor them “undetected for as long as possible.”
The head of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy D. Ho, was quoted as saying that prior to the direct confrontation between the two countries, China had gained access to critical U.S. networks. New York Times.
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