WASHINGTON (AP) – Chinese government hackers are busy targeting water treatment plants, power grids, transportation systems and other critical infrastructure in the United States, FBI Director Chris Wray said Wednesday in a new report from Washington. In his warning, he will tell members of the House of Commons: Beijing’s global ambitions.
Wray will say cyber threats that affect “all Americans” receive “too little public attention,” according to a copy of his prepared remarks to the House Select Committee on the Communist Party of China. .
“Chinese hackers are camped out in American infrastructure, ready to wreak havoc and cause real-world damage to American citizens and communities should China decide the time is right for an attack,” Wray said. says.
The comments are consistent with assessments from outside cybersecurity companies, including Microsoft, which said in May: State-sponsored Chinese hackers are targeting U.S. critical infrastructure And it could lay the technical foundations for a potential disruption of critical communications between the United States and Asia in the event of a future crisis.
The following month, Mandiant said: Suspected state-sponsored Chinese hacker exploited a security hole in a popular email security appliance to infiltrate the networks of hundreds of public and private organizations around the world.
Mr. Wray and other U.S. officials have long warned about not only the Chinese government’s hacking capabilities, but also its determination to steal scientific and industrial research from American companies. China maintains these accusations are unfounded, despite detailed evidence revealed in multiple criminal indictments.
“Today, and literally every day, they are actively attacking our economic security and engaging in mass theft of our innovation, personal data, and corporate data,” Ray said.
The commission, chaired by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, was established last year with the task of countering China. begins with a prime-time hearing. The Chinese government slammed the commission and called on its members to “abandon their ideological biases and zero-sum Cold War mentality.”