The malware is devised ’to launch destructive cyber-attacks that would jeopardize the physical safety of Americans and impede military readiness.’
China’s communist regime is pre-positioning malware in U.S. systems in preparation for a major conflict, according to the United States’ top cyber agency.
A Feb. 7 advisory released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) seeks “to warn critical infrastructure organizations” about China’s attempts to infiltrate, disrupt, and destroy vital U.S. facilities.
“[Chinese] state-sponsored cyber actors are seeking to pre-position themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States,” the advisory said.
The malware is devised “to launch destructive cyber-attacks that would jeopardize the physical safety of Americans and impede military readiness.”
The stark warning follows congressional testimony by senior intelligence leaders last week, which revealed the United States had eradicated Chinese malware from more than 600 routers associated with critical U.S. infrastructure.
That malware targeted water, gas, energy, rail, air, and port infrastructure.
Eric Goldstein, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, said the operation only targeted a fraction of the Chinese malware that seeks to infiltrate U.S. systems every day.
“This threat is not theoretical,” Mr. Goldstein said during a press call on Wednesday. “It is based on confirmed intrusions to U.S. critical infrastructure. And we know that what we have found is the tip of the iceberg.”
China Preparing for Attacks on US
Mr. Goldstein said that the volume and type of malware now being intercepted by intelligence agencies indicated a shift in China’s cyber strategy against the United States.
Whereas the regime previously focused on intellectual property theft and espionage, he said, it now appeared intent on causing physical harm and social panic in the event of a conflict.
“It is worth noting that the information that we are releasing with this advisory is reflecting a strategic shift in [China’s] malicious cyber activity from a focus on espionage and IP theft to pre-positioning for future disruptive or destructive attacks,” he said.
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