Amid the joint warning issued by the United States and seven allied countries against Chinese hackers, Chinese state-run media has been relentlessly criticizing the U.S., experts say. Beijing’s actions in the information war and perception war have been described as “thieves crying thief,” while the alliance of democratic countries is countering due to China’s rampant cyber attacks and brazen behavior.
The Australian Cyber Security Intelligence Agency issued a rare warning on Tuesday (9th), accusing Chinese hacker group APT40 of continuing malicious cyber attacks on Australian government and private organizations while actively seeking targets.
The Australian Signals Directorate stated that APT40 carries out “malicious cyber operations” on behalf of the Chinese state security apparatus.
This report was jointly drafted by the Australian government leading the “Five Eyes” alliance – including New Zealand, Canada, the U.S., and the UK, as well as international partners such as Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Dr. Wang Zhisheng of the Asia Pacific Security Guard Exchange Association recently told the Epoch Times that China’s cyber attacks are well-known worldwide, with research on cybersecurity indicating that Chinese and Russian hackers are the most prolific sources of cyber attacks globally. These hackers are believed to have government support rather than acting as individuals.
Dr. Wang analyzed that China has three main objectives with its cyber activities. Firstly, targeting critical infrastructure of adversaries or enemy countries, including the U.S., Five Eyes Australia, Canada, the UK, as well as nearby Japan, and especially Taiwan.
“The attacks on critical infrastructure are partly to prepare for future tech wars, so that if they ever go to war with democratic countries, China can gain an advantage in cyberspace.”
Secondly, engaging in cyber attacks to breach security defenses and steal important secrets of countries or businesses, such as national core matters, military strategies, or valuable trade secrets, in order to bolster its own strategic expansion or technological development.
Thirdly, China conducts a substantial amount of cyber intrusions and disruptions which can serve as a propaganda tool in cognitive warfare if necessary. By launching a large-scale cyber attack and propaganda campaign, Beijing can conduct the cognitive warfare it needs in a timely manner.
Dr. Wang believes that the information revealed by Australia and the Five Eyes alliance is just the tip of the iceberg and such incidents are ongoing. In recent months, the U.S. and allied countries have made several statements or taken actions against Chinese hacker organizations.
On February 7th, U.S. and Five Eyes intelligence agencies issued a joint statement, revealing that the advanced Chinese hacker group “Volt Typhoon” had been active for five years with a focus on disruption rather than espionage targeting key U.S. infrastructure.
The NSA, CISA, FBI, and TSA stated that “Volt Typhoon” had stealthily infiltrated aviation, rail, public transportation, highways, maritime, pipelines, water supply, and sewage institutions.
The statement indicated that the collected data strongly suggests that China is preparing for destructive cyber attacks that could endanger American lives and hinder military readiness in major crises or conflicts with the U.S.
In January, Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI were authorized to remotely disable Chinese hacker operations and had launched a campaign in recent months to combat the Chinese hacker group “Volt Typhoon,” successfully disrupting thousands of internet-connected devices.
In March, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI announced that millions of Americans’ online accounts were involved in an “evil” Chinese hacker conspiracy targeted at U.S. officials. Seven Chinese citizens were accused of carrying out extensive cyber attacks.
In April, network security officials from the U.S. and Five Eyes alliance countries jointly issued another warning bulletin, claiming to have thwarted Chinese hacker group “Volt Typhoon’s” clandestine operations in U.S. networks.
In June, the head of U.S. Cyber Command warned that China was actively seeking to disrupt the U.S. defense industry and once again named the Chinese-supported hacker organization “Volt Typhoon.”
Dr. Wang pointed out that the U.S. and allies have been protesting China through various channels, but Beijing seems unfazed and continues its aggressive behavior. Moreover, China released a report countering U.S. accusations. On July 8, the Chinese National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center issued a research report from April about the U.S. “Volt Typhoon” operation, pointing out three major discrepancies in the U.S. allegations.
Xinhua reported that U.S. intelligence agencies abuse their administrative powers, manipulate cybersecurity companies and other administrative bodies, and spread false information to create and intensify the narrative on the “China cyber threat,” which hides a real conspiracy.
Deputy Researcher Zeng Yishuo of the Taiwan Institute of National Defense Security Studies told the Epoch Times that China has long had a set script for these responses to the U.S., calling out the U.S. for similar actions and playing the victim, a tactic that is old-fashioned and predictable for China.
He emphasized that this tactic aims not only at domestic audiences but mainly at foreign ones. China is particularly influential in non-Western regions and grey areas where it can launch such a propaganda war.
He added that the U.S. has been successful in the psychological aspect of the conflict by imposing sanctions on individual hackers but China is now focusing on the information war. The U.S. is continuously expanding its alliance sanctions against Chinese hacker activities.
Zeng suggested that the actions taken by China are a part of a broader plan to consolidate its alliances and influence countries that are not aligned with the U.S. or the free world. China aims to discredit the U.S. and sway opinions of countries more aligned with China.
Zeng further stated, “I will vehemently deny everything and say that all the accusations made by the U.S. are false. Essentially, this is all part of China’s plan, and it may end up becoming a mystery of who is telling the truth in the end.”
Dr. Wang also believes that China’s actions of counteraccusations are ridiculous. He pointed out that the research from April in Beijing was only released in July and is now being used to rebuke the U.S. and other countries for conducting cognitive warfare against China.
Dr. Wang stated that the rebuttals put forth by Beijing are baseless, a futile attempt to incite anti-U.S. sentiment within China. The lack of evidence to support their claims raises suspicion about China’s true intentions.
He further analyzed that China’s second argument related to “Volt Typhoon” – the failure to secure endorsement from U.S. cybersecurity firms – is unreasonable as these firms may not have access to the same information as U.S. intelligence agencies. This shows China’s mindset that only a party-state system like that of China’s Communist Party can dictate to private companies, a concept foreign to democratic nations.
In conclusion, Dr. Wang highlighted that China’s responses are weak and the timing of their April research being released in July seems calculated to undermine U.S. efforts in cognitive warfare.
Xinhua also mentioned the U.S.’s Section 702, which is designed to enhance offensive capabilities against foreign competitors and monitor and control the population’s abilities. The U.S. intelligence agencies jointly launched the “Volt Typhoon” project in response to urgent matters related to foreign surveillance and competition with competitors.
Section 702 allows for electronic surveillance of foreign individuals outside the U.S. for national security purposes. This surveillance tool, first authorized in 2008, has been renewed multiple times for preventing terrorist attacks, cyber intrusions, and foreign espionage activities.
In April of this year, President Biden signed an extension to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702, the anonymous surveillance program, for another two years.
Dr. Wang stated that the U.S.’s actions are targeted towards suspicious countries and parties to conduct overseas surveillance. The need for such vigorous monitoring stems largely from Beijing.
He emphasized that prominent security think tanks worldwide, especially those focused on cybersecurity, acknowledge China and Russia as the two largest sources of cyber hackers. In the face of such threats, it is imperative for countries to take actions to block and expose them, which aligns with each country’s national security needs.
Dr. Wang expressed that if China and Russia do not stop their cyber attacks and cognitive warfare against other countries, more democratic nations, not just the Five Eyes alliance, will unite to impose more sanctions and resist against China’s cyber aggression.