"In early 2024, the American public received a stark warning from top U.S. security officials. Chinese state-sponsored hackers, known as "Volt Typhoon," had penetrated not just data repositories but embedded themselves deep within the control systems of U.S. critical infrastructure—including communication networks, energy grids, and water treatment facilities. As FBI Director Christopher Wray testified, the intent was a "pre-positioning of capabilities that can be turned on whenever they see fit" to "wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities.""
"How did we get here? In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the People's Republic of China (PRC) began to formally articulate a new approach to conflict that diverged significantly from traditional warfare. This strategic evolution was first evident in 1999 with the publication of "Unrestricted Warfare" by two People's Liberation Army (PLA) colonels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui. This groundbreaking conceptualization expanded the battlefield beyond purely military engagements to encompass a vast array of domains, including economic, legal, and informational spheres."
Chinese state-sponsored hackers called Volt Typhoon infiltrated U.S. critical infrastructure control systems, including communication networks, energy grids, and water treatment facilities, and embedded operational capabilities. FBI leadership described the activity as pre-positioning of capabilities to be activated to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm. The intrusion exemplifies a broader gray-war approach by the PRC that leverages non-kinetic tools. The PRC articulated this approach in 1999's Unrestricted Warfare and the 2003 Three Warfares doctrine. Those doctrines expand conflict beyond kinetic combat into psychological, informational, legal, and economic domains, guiding strategic, non-violent operations.
Read at The Cipher Brief
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]