(NationRise.com) – Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is warning Americans that Chinese hackers are targeting critical US infrastructure with the goal of causing chaos and “real-world” harm, according to Breitbart News.
Wray specified that power stations and water treatment facilities are prime targets for hackers. He will be accompanied by Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), during an upcoming congressional hearing to address the threat.
Wray also believes that transportation hubs and facilities pumping gas are vulnerable. He acknowledged that there has been too little focus on the growing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party and the hackers they employ. He believes every American is facing a risk.
Another troubling consideration is that hackers aren’t just targeting large population centers. A recent attack targeted the water authority of Aliquippa, a small town in Pennsylvania far from any large cities. Employees were able to shut the system off in time, but it served as an example of how the limited resources of small communities make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Officials believe Wray will also discuss the CCP’s planned attempts to steal personal and corporate data to potentially undermine our economic security.
CCP hackers already compromised dozens of infrastructure systems across the United States in 2023. None of those systems were disrupted or damaged, leading experts to believe that they may have been part of a coordinated effort to study our infrastructure and find backdoors. There are concerns that the attacks might be part of a planned and significant conflict between the two countries.
Tensions have been high between the US and China for years. Those tensions have been increasing over the past couple of years as the US expresses support for Taiwan. China has claimed that the island nation is one of its territories, while Taiwan insists on its own sovereignty.
China has also begun testing the US in other ways. A Chinese vessel intentionally collided with Philippine ships late last year, likely eliciting a US response over the Mutual Defense Treaty of the Philippines. The CCP is also assisting Russia in its attack on Ukraine. There have been concerns about Chinese officials attempting to stretch US forces thinly across the globe.
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