US cybersecurity officials have stated that China is increasingly using its companies to identify vulnerabilities in its domestic computer networks, and then exploit this knowledge to target foreign countries and industries.
General Timothy Haugh, Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of the Cyber Command, said in an interview with Bloomberg’s Haslinda Amin that “we are indeed seeing China’s behavior as very aggressive and assertive.”
During the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday, General Haugh elaborated that in response, the US is “rapidly collaborating with many countries to identify vulnerabilities in their respective systems as much as possible, and what actions China has taken to exploit these vulnerabilities.”
In March of this year, the US, UK, and New Zealand accused China of supporting malicious cyber activities against democratic institutions. London and Washington stated that hackers supported by the Chinese regime have targeted politicians, companies, and dissenters for years, and have stolen a significant amount of data from British voters.
Meanwhile, China claims to be a victim of cyber attacks from the US and its allies, and often denies accusations of launching hacking attacks. Earlier this year, the Chinese government specifically refuted the accusations from the US, UK, and New Zealand as “baseless and irresponsible.”
The government led by Chinese leader Xi Jinping has stated that they are facing “unprecedented risks and challenges” in protecting national secrets, and have intensified training on how to protect national secrets within government agencies, universities, and state-owned enterprises.
China recently began a comprehensive restructuring of its cyber forces, announcing the termination of the Strategic Support Force established over eight years ago to enhance space, cyber, political, and electronic warfare capabilities. The Xi Jinping administration is creating a new force named the Information Support Force to replace it.
Earlier this year, General Haugh took over as the head of the NSA and Cyber Command, succeeding retired General Paul Nakasone. Prior to assuming these roles, General Haugh had issued warnings about the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence to the 2024 elections and China’s potential export of AI technology for population control.
(Report referenced from Bloomberg)