The FBI is “focused” on China's efforts to inject malicious software code into computer networks in ways that could disrupt critical U.S. infrastructure, said Christopher Wray, the agency's director. That's what it means. From the report: Ray said he has strong concerns about the “pre-positioning” of malware. He said the United States recently disrupted a Chinese hacking network known as Bolt Typhoon that targeted American infrastructure such as the power grid and water supply, as well as other targets around the world. “We are sharply focused on the fact that this is a real threat, and we are working with many partners to identify, anticipate and stop it,” Wray said after attending the Munich Security Conference on Sunday. “There is,” he said.
“I'm calm and have a clear idea of what we're up against…We're always going to have to kind of be on our own,” Ray said. -Typhoon is just the tip of the iceberg, he said, and is one of many such efforts by the Chinese government. The United States has been tracking China's advance positioning operations for more than a decade, but Wray told the security conference that the operations were at a “culmination”. He said China has become more likely to insert “assault weapons into our critical infrastructure, ready to strike whenever the Chinese government deems the time appropriate.”
His comments are the FBI's latest effort to raise awareness of Chinese espionage, from traditional espionage and intellectual property theft to hacking in preparation for future conflicts. Last October, Mr. Wray and colleagues from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, held their first public meeting aimed at highlighting Chinese espionage activities. Wray said the U.S. campaign is having an impact, with people increasingly sympathetic to the threat, especially compared to a few years ago, when it was sometimes met with skepticism.
