China’s Cyber Campaign against the U.S.: A Growing Threat to Critical Infrastructure and Global Dominance

Beijing is ramping up its efforts to access critical infrastructure in the United States, according to General Timothy D. Haugh, director of the National Security Agency. He stated that China has increased its cyber activities, prompting the U.S. to work harder to disrupt that activity.

Last year, U.S. officials discovered China’s attempts to access critical infrastructure on Guam and in the continental United States through an effort known as Volt Typhoon. In this operation, Chinese hackers used stealthier techniques to break into systems like wastewater and communication networks. Haugh emphasized that China was establishing access to potentially threaten these systems before a direct confrontation between the two countries. This move could disrupt or shut down critical infrastructure near military bases, causing chaos and slowing the response time to a crisis in the Pacific region or Taiwan.

Haugh described China as an urgent military threat, highlighting the country’s increasing sophistication in cyber capabilities. He also emphasized Beijing’s campaign to expand its global dominance and its efforts to develop a modernized force to use against Taiwan by 2027. Haugh stressed the importance of confronting China below the level of armed conflict, particularly in the cyber realm.

While Haugh did not discuss specific Cyber Command operations inside China, he mentioned the military’s efforts to disrupt attacks against the U.S. and halt the spread of malware and ransomware. He emphasized the need to confront China’s deliberate campaigns to gain advantage across all aspects of national power. Haugh warned that China has the desire and ability to become a peer on the world stage, posing a real threat to U.S