The FBI director Christopher Wray has revealed that Chinese hackers have been targeting US critical infrastructure systems, such as water treatment plants, power grids, pipelines, and transportation networks, with a malware called Volt Typhoon.
The malware, which was discovered in May 2023, allows the hackers to hide their reconnaissance and network exploitation activities, and to potentially cause chaos and harm to American citizens and communities.
Wray made the announcement in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, where he testified along with other US cyber officials about the threat posed by China’s cyber warfare.
He said that the hackers, who are sponsored by the Chinese government, have infiltrated hundreds of outdated and vulnerable routers connected to the infrastructure assets, and have installed the Volt Typhoon malware on them. According to him,
“The Volt Typhoon malware enabled China to hide, among other things, pre-operational reconnaissance and network exploitation against critical infrastructure. They target our freedoms, reaching inside our borders, across America, to silence, coerce, and threaten our citizens and residents.”
Wray went on to say that the FBI, along with other US agencies, had managed to dismantle the hacking efforts of the group, which was dubbed “Volt Typhoon” by Microsoft, and had arrested some of its members.
However, he warned that the threat was not over, and that the Chinese hackers were preparing to “wreak havoc” and “cause real-world harm” to Americans, and that they were not focused on just political or military targets.
