FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned that hackers working for the Chinese government are preparing to “wreak havoc” in the United States.
He will tell US politicians on Wednesday that critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants, the electricity grid and transportation systems are being targeted to cause “real harm” to US citizens.
Mr Wray will speak before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and is also expected to say there has been “very little public focus” on the issue. Cyber threat That affects “every American.”
Beijing denied Christopher Wray's previous accusations against China. File photo: AP
According to a copy of prepared remarks, he will say: “Chinese hackers are positioning themselves on US infrastructure poised to wreak havoc and cause real harm to American citizens and communities, if China decides it is time to strike.
“Today, and literally every day, they are actively attacking our economic security, engaging in the wholesale theft of our innovations, personal and corporate data.”
These comments follow previous assessments from private cybersecurity companies, which warned of the continuing threat posed by China.
Last year, Microsoft said Chinese state-backed hackers were targeting US infrastructure and could lay the technical foundation for the potential disruption of vital communications between the US and Asia during future crises.
The American company Mandiant accused Chinese hackers of using a security vulnerability in a popular email device to break into the networks of hundreds of public and private sector organizations around the world.
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Mr. Wray is among a number of senior American officials who continue to warn about the Chinese government's hacking prowess along with Beijing's determination to steal scientific and industrial research from American companies.
China has called the accusations baseless, despite multiple criminal indictments detailing the evidence.
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The committee was created with the aim of confronting China, including focusing on the security and economic implications.
Last year, a report Chinese spy accused of using LinkedIn To target thousands of British officials as part of an attempt to extract secrets.
In 2022, Mr. Wray joined the head of MI5 as An unprecedented joint speech China's warning was the biggest “game-changing challenge.”
The FBI chief warned that “the pace at which Chinese intelligence services and other agents working on their behalf has been aggressive has been extreme for some time.”
