Witnesses at Homeland Security hearing say China has prepositioned on U.S. critical infrastructure

Summary

Experts and former officials told the House Homeland Security Committee that Chinese state-linked cyber actors have long-established footholds inside U.S. networks that support ports, energy, telecommunications and other critical systems, and that those footholds could be used to disrupt services during a crisis.

The House Committee on Homeland Security heard testimony from private-sector experts and former federal officials who said Chinese state-linked cyber operations have ‘‘prepositioned’’ access to U.S. critical infrastructure and pose a risk of disruptive or destructive attacks.

Chairman Green opened the hearing saying the panel would “delve into the risk posed by the People’s Republic of China, which has burrowed into our critical infrastructure and compromised our telecommunications networks.” He added that cyberspace “is increasingly becoming a digital battlefield.”

Adam Myers, senior vice president for counteradversary operations at CrowdStrike, told the committee that China’s cyber programs have matured. “After over a decade of investing in programs to strengthen their cyber capabilities, China has matured to achieve at least parity with other world…

Witnesses at Homeland Security hearing say China has prepositioned on U.S. critical infrastructure

Summary

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