In a collective announcement issued on Wednesday (Feb 7), intelligence agencies from the United States and allied nations revealed that an advanced faction of Chinese hackers has been targeting critical infrastructure within the US, remaining operational for as long as five years.
The consortium, comprising the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA), identified the group as Volt Typhoon. They disclosed that Volt Typhoon had covertly infiltrated the networks of vital sectors including pipelines, mass transit, highways, aviation, railways, water management, and sewage systems.
While specific organizations were not named, the statement indicated that US intelligence had detected the hackers maintaining access and establishing footholds within certain victim IT environments for a minimum of five years.
The statement, co-signed by cybersecurity agencies from various countries including New Zealand, Canada, Britain, and Australia, represents the latest cautionary directive regarding Volt Typhoon from US authorities.
Of particular concern is Volt Typhoon’s apparent orientation toward sabotage rather than espionage, heightening apprehension among officials.
Given the disruptive potential of cyber intrusions, the White House has initiated dialogues with the private technology sector, engaging telecommunications and cloud computing firms. In these discussions, the US government has sought collaboration to monitor and address such nefarious activities.
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