In a closed-door meeting at the White House in the fall of 2023, President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, delivered a sobering message to top executives from the telecommunications and technology sectors. Chinese hackers had infiltrated critical U.S. infrastructure, including ports, power grids, and water systems, with the capability to shut them down at will, the WSJ reported Sunday.

What neither Sullivan nor those in attendance knew at the time was that China’s hackers were already burrowing deep into U.S. telecommunications networks, laying the groundwork for future cyber warfare.

The twin hacking operations—one targeting infrastructure, the other telecom networks—have shattered previous assumptions about Beijing’s cyber objectives. Once viewed primarily as economic espionage aimed at stealing business secrets, China’s hackers are now positioning themselves as a frontline threat in potential geopolitical conflicts.

U.S. security officials now view American computer networks as a critical battlefield. Brandon Wales, a former senior cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, stated that China’s cyber prepositioning aims to “induce chaos at home and prevent the U.S. from projecting power abroad.”

These concerns are heightened by China’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan. Intelligence officials believe Beijing is preparing for potential conflict by 2027, with the U.S. expected to intervene as Taiwan’s key ally.

Since at least 2019, Chinese hackers tied to the People’s Liberation Army have embedded themselves in vulnerable but often-overlooked targets, including water utilities in Hawaii, ports in Houston, and oil-and-gas facilities. The hackers—operating under the codename Volt Typhoon—spent months, and in some cases years, maintaining access, conducting surveillance, and periodically testing their ability to disrupt operations.

At one regional airport, hackers checked in every six months to ensure their access remained undetected. In Los Angeles, they scoured utility systems for emergency protocols.

U.S. officials believe these intrusions are part of a broader strategy to disrupt Pacific supply lines in the event of conflict over Taiwan.

A parallel campaign, dubbed Salt Typhoon, began infiltrating U.S. telecom networks in mid-2023. This sophisticated breach targeted wireless providers, intercepting data from over a million users. Among those compromised were high-level government officials, including individuals connected to Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign and former President Trump.

Hackers also gained access to court-authorized wiretap systems, allowing them to view sensitive surveillance operations on suspected Chinese agents. Investigators remain uncertain whether the hackers could intercept live calls, though they acknowledge the breach’s severity.

Efforts to root out the hackers have proven challenging. Some officials believe the telecom networks are so compromised that eradicating the threat entirely may be impossible.

“They were very careful,” said Anne Neuberger, Biden’s deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity. She noted that some hackers erased logs, leaving gaps that make it difficult to assess the full scope of the breach.

Verizon and AT&T, two of the primary targets, acknowledged the breaches but insisted that affected customers had been notified and the attacks contained. AT&T denied finding ongoing nation-state activity, while Verizon confirmed it had addressed the vulnerabilities.

Federal agencies continue to push telecom companies to strengthen their defenses. In December, cybersecurity officials advised the public to use encrypted messaging apps like Signal, warning that traditional cell networks remain vulnerable.

Beijing has dismissed the accusations. Liu Pengyu, the Chinese embassy’s spokesman, accused the U.S. of fabricating threats to justify increased military spending. Chinese officials maintain there is no evidence to support claims of their involvement.

Despite the denials, U.S. national security officials view the cyberattacks as a critical escalation in the ongoing rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The breaches underscore the fragility of America’s digital infrastructure and the urgent need to bolster defenses against the growing threat from China’s cyber operations.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)