On Tuesday, the US security agencies held a classified briefing for all members of Congress to introduce the activities of Chinese hackers known as “Salt Typhoon”. The briefing highlighted their infiltration into US telecommunications companies and the theft of American call data.
Senate members from both parties had received a briefing on this topic last week.
According to Voice of America, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed that the content of the briefing was “shocking”. Chief Democratic member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Select Committee on China also stated that he was “deeply unsettled” by the information he heard.
“We must collaborate with the private sector to prevent such situations. We must clearly state that we will not tolerate this type of invasion behavior,” he said.
Chairman of the House Select Committee on China, John Moolenaar, mentioned the importance of informing all members of Congress about the actions and scale of Chinese hacker network attacks. Due to the confidential nature of the briefing, Moolenaar revealed that Congress plans to take action in response.
“This is our first real opportunity to hear explanations from relevant government agencies,” said Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan, to Voice of America. “I believe Congress will definitely take legislative actions.”
On Tuesday, the House unanimously passed the “Strengthening Cyber Defense Against Nation-State Threats Act”. This legislation, proposed by the House Committee on Homeland Security, aims to combat the growing cyber threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to US critical infrastructure.
The bill proposes establishing a cross-agency task force led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to address the widespread cybersecurity threats posed by state-sponsored actors related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
In recent months, Chinese hackers known as “Salt Typhoon” have infiltrated at least eight US telecommunications and telecommunications infrastructure companies, allegedly engaging in wiretapping of Washington political officials and business elites.
This is the latest in a series of cyber intrusions determined by US investigators to be related to China in recent years, prompting bipartisan legislators to pay close attention.
The Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband under the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a thematic hearing on Wednesday, where bipartisan legislators are expected to invite expert witnesses to discuss the actions of “Salt Typhoon” hackers.
China has denied these allegations, initially calling them fake news, then later stating that the US is attempting to suppress China.
This hacking incident has raised concerns among many Americans, with expectations from the public for companies and the government to promptly eradicate these invasions and defend against future attacks.
Senator Richard Blumenthal stated, “The scope, depth, and breadth of Chinese (CCP) hacker attacks are absolutely mind-boggling. It is frightening that we have allowed so much to happen in the past year.”