Committee hears warnings on cyberattacks, undersea cable incidents and telecom espionage

Lawmakers and witnesses spent part of the hearing focused on cyber threats to critical infrastructure, including reported undersea cable tampering and telecom intrusions attributed in public reporting to Chinese-backed groups.

Capt. Brent Sadler (ret.) told the subcommittee that recent incidents — including a reported boarding of a vessel suspected of cutting undersea cables near Taiwan — indicate an erosion of the comfortable “gray zone” and a shift to more overt actions that require coordinated economic, diplomatic and military responses. “We have to be ready for these types of incidents,” he said.

Representative Biggs and others referenced reporting about Chinese-backed hacking groups (named in public reporting as Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon) that U.S. officials said accessed energy and telecommunications systems and intercept points. Lawmakers entered materials into the record describing those intrusions and encouraged the committee to examine encryption, vulnerabilities in telecom infrastructure, and the balance between law-enforcement access and secure, end-to-end encrypted communications.

Why it matters: committee members and witnesses said successful intrusions into energy and telecom systems can expose high-value targets, disrupt communications, and erode public trust. Witnesses urged continued investment in cyber defenses and tools to hold attackers accountable, including options that can be carried out in secret by national security agencies and that may require months to prepare.

What remains undecided: members called for more resources and international cooperation but did not adopt new policy at the hearing. Several participants asked for classified briefings and follow-up on the technical details of alleged intrusions.

Ending: Committee members signaled intent to pursue additional oversight on cyber vulnerabilities to communications and energy infrastructure and to review potential policy responses.