(RepublicanReport.org) – Chinese hackers have been working to infiltrate all sorts of US systems, determined to cause destruction. The FBI warns that the cyber attackers could remotely interfere with important parts of the infrastructure, potentially disrupting military operations. Director Christopher Wray recently stated that there hasn’t been nearly enough public focus on the threat, which could possibly affect everyone in the country.
Wray spoke about the danger on January 31, before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, adding that he believes the foreign superpower has been moving into position to disrupt vital functions. One major target could be communication networks between the US and Asian countries. Wray claims China is also using hackers to steal technology, research, and other innovations from US businesses. The thefts threaten economic security, not to mention personal data, and turn businesses into potential targets.
Reuters reports that the FBI has been working with the US Justice Department to devise legal ways of disabling Chinese hacking efforts. Ransomware and similar threats were a huge problem in 2023, and officials have concerns that the people responsible could attempt to disrupt voting in November. Another possibility is that China is preparing to hinder communications in the event that it makes its move to retake Taiwan.
The group behind much of the destruction, known as Volt Typhoon, takes control of systems through the use of botnets — networks hackers hijack by seizing remote use of vulnerable modems, routers, and cameras located near Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In most cases, users have no idea their computers are infected and used to take over other systems. The method allows the criminals to attack multiple targets at once while remaining relatively hidden from users and investigators. Norton shares that individual users can protect their computers and devices from assisting botnet attacks by ignoring suspicious links and keeping malware programs up to date.
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