The FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that the Chinese government poses a "broad and unrelenting" threat to U.S. critical infrastructure. He stated that China considers every sector that enables American society as fair game in its bid to dominate globally. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to induce panic and break America's will to resist by targeting civilian infrastructure.
Hybrid Threat Involving Crime, Counterintelligence, and Cybersecurity
Wray described the overall threat from the CCP as a hybrid one involving crime, counterintelligence, and cybersecurity. The FBI is countering this multifaceted threat by utilizing resources and expertise from all three of these areas within the Bureau.
The criminal aspect involves things like cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering, and other illegal moneymaking schemes tied to China. The counterintelligence component focuses on curbing China's efforts to steal sensitive information and technology through human sources and insiders.
Driven by CCP's Aspirations for Wealth and Power
The threat is driven by the CCP's aspirations for wealth and power, according to Wray. China wants to seize economic development in critical areas like AI, biotech, and next-gen telecoms even if it requires theft of trade secrets. The Chinese government has tried to pilfer intellectual property, technology, and research from nearly every industry in the U.S. economy. Wray stated this drive comes from the top CCP leadership's desire to make China the world's foremost economic and military superpower as soon as possible. They are willing to use illegal means and leverage their intelligence services to gain superiority over America in key technological fields.
Preventing U.S. Interference in Potential Taiwan Crisis
Wray stated that the CCP also wants to prevent the United States from interfering in a potential future "crisis between China and Taiwan by 2027." The timeline suggests China may be eyeing plans to take control of Taiwan within the next few years.
Targeting Critical Infrastructure
The FBI is concerned about the CCP's targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure, which forms the backbone of society. Wray said that this targeting is "both broad and unrelenting," and the CCP's hacking program aims to physically wreak havoc on critical infrastructure at a time of its choosing. The immense scale of the CCP's hacking program is not just for economic gain, but aims to position China to potentially disrupt or damage American critical infrastructure systems at a time of Beijing's choosing as an asymmetric warfare strategy.
Past Incidents and Investigations
Wray cited examples like the 2011 incident where Chinese cyber actors pre-positioned themselves on the networks of 23 U.S. pipeline operators, likely for future disruptive attacks. In the recent Volt Typhoon investigation, the FBI found the Chinese government had illicitly accessed telecom, energy, water and other infrastructure sector networks in America. This highlights their appetite for persistence access.
FBI's Response and Partnerships
The FBI fights back against the China threat through joint, sequenced operations alongside partners like U.S. Cyber Command, foreign law enforcement agencies, and the CIA. Wray highlighted the FBI's responses to the Microsoft Exchange hack and Volt Typhoon, which involved collaborating with private sector partners, sharing threat intelligence, and conducting court-authorized operations to remove malware and sever connections.
Wray also emphasized the importance of partnerships with the private sector and academia to protect the nation's essential networks and conduct joint operations. He encouraged private companies to defend against Chinese attacks, share vital information, and practice vigilance through resiliency planning and supply chain security.
