The Blubber

Chinese hackers infiltrated plane, train and water systems for five years.


American and allied intelligence agencies, including the US National Security Agency, US cyber watchdog CISA, the FBI, and the Transportation Security Administration, revealed in a joint statement on Wednesday that an advanced Chinese hacking group targeting critical US infrastructure has been operational for up to five years.

Referred to as Volt Typhoon, this group has infiltrated the networks of various vital sectors such as aviation, rail, mass transit, highway, maritime, pipeline, water, and sewage organizations. Although specific entities were not named, the agencies noted that the hackers have maintained access to some victim IT systems for at least half a decade.

The statement, jointly issued by the cybersecurity agencies of Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, along with US agencies, highlights the ongoing concerns surrounding Volt Typhoon. This group is particularly alarming due to its focus on sabotage rather than mere espionage.

The extensive scope of these cyber intrusions prompted the White House to engage in discussions with private technology firms, including telecommunications and cloud computing companies, seeking collaboration to track and counteract this activity.

Eric Goldstein, a senior official at CISA, expressed significant apprehension about the malicious cyber operations attributed to this state-sponsored Chinese actor, known as Volt Typhoon. He emphasized that most of the targeted organizations do not possess any significant espionage value.