Microsoft cautioned that Chinese state-sponsored hackers are targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, posing a threat to essential communications with Asia during future crises.
The company stated that the targets encompass locations in Guam, where the United States possesses a significant military presence.
Microsoft Exposes Volt Typhoon
Modern geopolitical rivalries have witnessed a surge in hostile activities in cyberspace, ranging from espionage to the deployment of sophisticated malware for potential future attacks.
Microsoft, in a blog post, revealed the existence of a state-sponsored hacker group called Volt Typhoon, which has been actively operating since mid-2021.
The affected organizations, as identified by Microsoft, belong to various sectors, including communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, information technology, and education. The group’s objective is to gain persistent access to these organizations’ systems.
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International Collaboration on Cyber Activities
Additionally, the National Security Agency, FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and their counterparts from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Britain issued a joint advisory, sharing technical details regarding the recently discovered series of cyber activities.
A spokesperson from Microsoft declined to disclose the reasons behind the timing of their announcement or whether there has been an increase in targeting critical infrastructure in Guam or nearby U.S. military facilities, which notably include a major air base.
The intrusion campaign had a significant focus on maintaining the secrecy and appearing inconspicuous within regular network operations through the targeting of small-scale office network devices.
CISA Director Jen Easterly remarked on China’s history of conducting aggressive cyber operations to steal intellectual property and sensitive data globally, calling for measures to mitigate the impact on affected networks and prevent potential disruptions.
Bryan Vorndran, the assistant director of the FBI cyber division, condemned the intrusions as unacceptable tactics in the same statement.
Tensions between the United States and China, regarded by the U.S. national security establishment as its primary military, economic, and strategic rival, have escalated in recent months.
The previous tensions reached a peak last year following a visit to Taiwan by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a democratic country that China claims as its own territory. This led to China conducting military exercises around Taiwan.
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