US Army General Paul Okasona, the departing director of the NSA and the head of the US Cybercards, has declared that despite a series of successful hacker attacks by Beijing, China has not yet surpassed the United States in the field of cyberspiration. This statement was made during a recent discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Research in Washington.
Okasone emphasized that Chinese hackers’ skills and the scale of their cyber activities continue to grow. Numerous reports indicate that China, known for its longstanding involvement in the theft of US intellectual property, is responsible for complex hacker attacks, including targeting high-ranking American officials. Furthermore, in May, Microsoft issued a warning stating that Chinese hackers had attacked critical US infrastructure facilities, such as the island of Guam.
Given China’s increasing cyber aggression, Okason expressed his concern by asking, “Why are they targeting our critical infrastructure? If their goal is not to collect intelligence, then what is it?” The general also supported the Pentagon’s view that China is the primary threat to the United States at present, stating, “This is a challenge that we and future generations will need to address.”
According to Okason, China stands out as a unique adversary compared to any other he encountered during his more than 30 years of service in the army.
It’s worth noting that at the end of July, China accused the United States of a cyber attack on the Wuns Seismological Center, alleging that the attack had received support from the US government. A backdoor was reportedly introduced into computer equipment, enabling the control and theft of data on seismic activity.
Additionally, the US Department of Education plans to launch a coordination council to facilitate formal cooperation between government officials and heads of school districts. The aim is to help schools enhance their cyber protection capabilities in response to the growing number of paralyzing extortion attacks.