纽约时报中文网 - 英文原版-英China Is Targeting US Infrastructure and Could Wreak Chaos FBI Says

February 1, 2024 2 min 363 words

这则报道揭示了FBI对中国瞄准美国基础设施的担忧，引发了对国际网络安全的深刻思考。中美关系紧张的大背景下，网络战正成为一场隐形的较量。中国被指控可能制造混乱，这不仅仅是数字领域的问题，更是涉及国家安全和社会稳定的严重威胁。报道的关键在于提醒美国及其盟友采取更强有力的网络防御措施，以防范潜在的袭击。这一信息强调了全球范围内的数字安全亟需国际合作，使网络空间成为一个更加安全、稳定的环境。双方应通过对话和协商，共同建立网络安全的国际规则，以维护全球互联网的和平与稳定。

President Xi Jinping is seen on a screen in Beijing. The issue of Taiwan’s independence is a major flashpoint that risks escalating into a war between China and the United States, F.B.I. Director Christopher A. Wray said. Credit...Wu Hao/EPA, via Shutterstock

Christopher A. Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, warned on Wednesday that China was ramping up an extensive hacking operation geared at taking down the United States’ power grid, oil pipelines and water systems in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.

Mr. Wray, appearing before a House subcommittee on China, offered an alarming assessment of the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts. Its intent is to sow confusion, sap the United States’ will to fight and hamper the American military from deploying resources if the dispute over Taiwan, a major flashpoint between the two superpowers, escalates into a war, he added.

Before his testimony, F.B.I. and Justice Department officials revealed that last month, they had obtained a court order that authorized them to gain access to servers infiltrated by Volt Typhoon, a Beijing-directed hacking network that has targeted a range of critical infrastructure systems, often by infiltrating small businesses, contractors or local government networks.

“China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike,” said Mr. Wray, who pressed the committee to increase funding for the bureau.

“Low blows against civilians are part of China’s plan,” he added.

Hackers for Volt Typhoon compromised hundreds of Cisco and NetGear routers, many of them outdated models no longer supported by manufacturer updates or security patches, in an effort to embed an army of sleeper cells that would be activated in a crisis.

In May, U.S. officials warned business, local governments and foreign allies that the group was taking aim at “networks across U.S. critical infrastructure sectors” and was likely to apply the same techniques against other countries.

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