Fear hack by China: FBI chief

Chinese-linked hackers have snooped around critical US infrastructure and put themselves in a position to attack at “the right moment,” FBI Director Christopher Wray ominously warned.

Speaking at Vanderbilt University during the Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats, Wray underscored that the bureau and other federal authorities have been scrambling behind the scenes to counter the threat, which he said is “upon us now.”

“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] has made it clear that it considers every sector that makes our society run as fair game in its bid to dominate on the world stage,” Wray claimed.

“[China’s] plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic and break America’s will to resist.”

Wray surmised much of that cyber-burrowing by the Chinese Communist Party stemmed from its “aspirations to wealth and power.”

He added a caveat that it is difficult to determine how much of the pre-positioning was done to deter the US from protecting Taiwan.

Specifically, Wray suggested that China is interested in having countermeasures in place for a “crisis between China and Taiwan by 2027.”

Like many top US officials, Wray argued that China has aggressively worked to pilfer “intellectual property, technology, and research” from virtually every major American industry, including 23 oil pipeline operators.

Earlier this year, Wray issued a similar warning to lawmakers during a hearing before the House Select Committee on China.

Wray warned that Chinese-tied hackers had their sights set on the electrical grid, oil and natural gas pipelines, transportation systems, American water treatment plants, and more.