Chinese hackers ready to ‘wreak havoc’ on critical US infrastructure with 50-to-1 cyber personnel advantage, FBI director warns
Chinese hackers ready to ‘wreak havoc’ on critical US infrastructure with 50-to-1 cyber personnel advantage, FBI director warns
I understand that the US is likely vulnerable to cyber attack, but is a widespread attack by China likely in the immediate future?
I mean, let's say China does disable infrastructure, banking, etc in a coordinated and widespread attack. But then what? An attack on that scale is an act of war, and I doubt China would be willing to follow up with military action at this time.
Perhaps this is more of a preventive MAD type strategy? Essentially a warning to the US to not mess with China, or else these are the consequences.
Given trade, it doesn't seem to be in their best interest to cripple the US.
Let us face squarely the paradox that the world which goes to war is a world, usually genuinely desiring peace. War is the outcome, not mainly of evil intentions, but on the whole of good intentions which miscarry or are frustrated. It is made not usually by evil men knowing themselves to be wrong, but is the outcome of policies pursued by good men usually passionately convinced that they are right.
—Norman Angell, author of The Great Illusion
I think a lot of American planners expect the next war to be against China more than Russia, most likely as part of efforts to reclaim Taiwan militarily. Whether that actually happens or not, China seems to be trying to build a military that can win against the U.S., either by matching strengths or some more asymmetric means. I think I saw a story recently that China was constructing mockups of American navy ships in a desert that seem to be for war gaming, as an example.
Had a long talk with a very intelligent, young, Navy SIGINT guy last New Years. He's been out there, intercepting and working on signal intelligence. Basically said, "China is the enemy, and they're far more able and serious than you think. Can't say much more, take it or leave it."
Idk if Taiwan would be worth the war, at least not more than supplying Ukraine who's fighting Russia, which has done way more damage to our country recently. We need to catch up on our local chip manufacturing capabilities fast first, though.
The US wants a fight with China to justify our perpetual military buildup and foreign reach.
No, it's not likely at all unless we get into an open conflict. Then cyber warfare will be just one arena of conflict. But I think most estimates are that that would be disastrous for us, china and the world so it's unlikely for now.
It's way more likely that the fbi want more money or are repeating some talking point to push an agenda or as a political favor.
That being said, if America ever plunges into a civil war it would be the best time for them to cripple the US infrastructure and do anything they want to Taiwan and SEA while having the US consumed in an infighting.
Isnt it about being prepared for if they are in a state of war?
That's what it seems like to me. I don't see China executing a cyber attack without being willing and able to follow up with military action. Preparation, as you said.
Tensions don't seem high enough currently for that to be the case, but perhaps someday they will be. At that point we'd be facing an all out war.
Why would they want to push a massive cyber warfare if they can hack and collect as much information as they want to push communism all over the world(that's the purpose of intelligence work), I mean it's not what about Huawei and TikTok are hated in the US?
All it's just about pushing a certain agenda.
You don't need to be a genius to realize WWIII it's not about China vs US, it's about Communism(socialism) vs fascism(elite) as always have been.
Do you know anything about cyber security or are just passionate because you get to talk about war. If China were to coordinate an widespread attack, do you think it is as simple as the attack will come straight from the computer in the CCP headquarters and you go in to save the day?
Do you have any idea of how many outdated, unsecured, vulnerable devices (most of them made in China) could be used around the world just to have a plausible deniability. Ever heard of phishing? It could have come from your friend's email and you could be the one that's spreading the worm. And it would take months to trace it back to China. These are not script kiddies you see on the movies.
Start Air gaping critical infrastructure from the internet instead of dreaming about hypothetical wars.
America always needs a boogeyman. Maybe having all infrastructure connected to the internet and letting security sloppy contractors open access isn't a good idea either.
Meanwhile US citizens go without healthcare.
This is it. This headline has been true since 2009.
Here we go again... Point the finger at other countries while spying massively on the entire world.
I mean, yeah, I get that the US isn’t blameless across the board—or at all—but you’re drawing lines between two disparate things. Yes, spying is bad. We are agreed. Yes, the US is in deep with it. But what does that have to do with vulnerable infrastructure?
That’s like saying, “how can you sit there and tell me not to burn your house down when you stalk your ex girlfriend?”
Like….both are wrong. But they’re just not 1:1
Every cyber security and software dev that got fired over the past year: fucking sick, where do we sign up.
Maybe requiring computer nerds to not smoke weed if they want to work for Uncle Sam isn't the best national security strategy.
The devil's lettuce?! In my Christian Minecraft server?
They recently reduced requirements for gov cyber security roles.
I'm oblivious but I'm going to guess it was the technical skills requirements
Maybe not being the same asshole that always cries that there aren't enough back doors in encryption if he is so worried about hackers.
I know a lot of people interested in infosec, but none of them want to be cops/feds.
Removing those draconic entry requirements would be a start.
...now give us billions please kthanks
Manually attacking your adversary is so 1900s. Train a MASSIVE ai on every classified hacking methodology/procedure document in existence, give it the adversary's IP ?range, and press GO.
That would just cause chaos. Which might benefit the attacker but I think you’d be better off with smaller targeted strikes using the secret catalog of CIA/NSA hacking tools already available to them. Or I suppose why not do both.
Hacking is too complex to be automated like that - for now at least. Especially the AI buzzword is useless in this context. There are a lot of attempts to automate the process, but none of them come close to manual review by an experienced professional.
Even if only one in a million succeed, it's still able to try those million damn fast. And it's only going to get better logarithmically.
What's the pop ratio us vs China? Ball park 400mil vs 1.4 bil?
That's like us is 30% just for an easy number.
So there's like 1 us people to 3 or 4 China people.
And somehow this sector is 1 to 50. That's wild.
Most people I know barely know how to use excel and they'd die before leaning xlookup. Let alone Kali or something to run some ops.
I know a little about this world. Uncle in the Navy communications side. They have programs for this stuff. Marines can pick their field or whatever and they have a program too. Seems like a pretty simple fix to make those orders pay better if they really need bodies.
Seems like some wild numbers to throw around. Like 50 to 1 feels a little China outnumber us type xenophobic.
“To quantify what we’re up against, the PRC has a bigger hacking program than that of every major nation combined,” the FBI director said.
“In fact, if you took every single one of the FBI cyber agents and intelligence analysts and focus them exclusively on the China threat, China’s hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50-to1.”
Maybe we should continue to be friends. 😉
"I need more money, cheers."
Death to China, death to the east. Nuke china and the genocidal sycophant Xi.
(Inverse hexbear strategy)
Maybe stop hiring based on whether people use or used drugs?
In the tech world drug users, particularly of hallucinogens, probably make up the top 10%.
Obviously this is anecdotal, but of my friends in tech (early to late 20s) I'm the only one who has not used hallucinogens or psychedelics. I don't think a single one of their salaries (not TC) are under $150k.
Isn't that more on the artsy side of tech?
Yeah, honestly this shit is why I have avoided government jobs. I’m not really a drug user… just don’t like idea that I need to disclose the exact date and time of every time I ever did use one. Also, the pay sucks. So, the options are jump through hoops and have the government audit your personal life, or don’t and get paid more for that decision.
Republicans hate the government and government workers though, so they don’t even care that this policy costs the US Government talent.
How in the world is someone supposed to remember each and every time they smoked a bowl?? Shit I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday, and I don't really smoke much anymore.
Even more so... Maybe stop requiring ridiculously formal attire?
I wouldn't go as far as moreso but yes!
To an extent, I can understand not wanting to hire someone if they have an active substance dependency issue, especially for mission critical government work. But why are we still chastising people that had a bit too much fun in college?