CCP Cyber Threat to U.S. Infrastructure
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party recently held a hearing titled, “End the Typhoons: How to Deter Beijing’s Cyber Actions and Enhance America’s Lackluster Cyber Defenses.“ The testimony exposed the alarming extent of CCP Cyber Threat to U.S. Infrastructure and the urgent need for a robust and proactive response to protect our national infrastructure, economy, and citizens.
The hearing underscored that vulnerability and identity management are paramount in countering cyber threats. China’s state-sponsored hacking groups, such as Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon, have successfully infiltrated critical U.S. infrastructure, including telecommunications, power grids, and water systems. These attacks are not just about espionage—they are pre-positioning to disrupt and sabotage essential services at key moments, such as during a potential military action against Taiwan.
China’s strategy is clear: cause widespread panic, distract the U.S. from external conflicts, and erode confidence in government institutions. This tactic effectively holds American civilians hostage by targeting essential services. From intercepting phone calls to cutting off power and water supplies, no infrastructure is off-limits to the CCP’s cyber warfare strategy.
The Role of CCP-Controlled Companies
A major avenue of attack comes from Chinese-owned technology companies embedded in the U.S. market. Low-cost, CCP-controlled products—such as those from TP-Link—are a Trojan horse for cyber espionage. These devices, sold at a loss to undercut competitors, have been compromised and used to conduct cyber intrusions. More concerning is that these devices, often found in individual homes, can be covertly weaponized to conduct cyber-attacks while masking their true origin. By leveraging these compromised systems, attackers can obfuscate their actions, making them appear as if they are coming from ordinary American households. This complicates investigations, as authorities must navigate U.S. privacy laws while tracking and mitigating threats, ultimately delaying response efforts.
Congressional leaders emphasized the need to phase out these high-risk devices, but replacement is costly. The Commerce Department and other agencies must take swift action to ban compromised Chinese tech from critical infrastructure.
An Uphill Battle: China’s Cyber Strategy vs. U.S. Restraints
Unlike the United States, China does not operate under the same legal and ethical constraints. The CCP’s intelligence apparatus, through laws requiring private sector cooperation, ensures every Chinese company works in service of the regime’s strategic objectives. The U.S., bound by privacy laws and international norms, faces an asymmetric battlefield where Chinese hackers operate with near impunity.
One stark reality presented at the hearing is that China’s resources far outnumber ours. With an estimated 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals and a need for 2 million, the U.S. must expand its cyber workforce to match the scale of the threat.
The Path Forward: Deter, Defend, and Build Resilience
The hearing emphasized a three-pronged strategy:
- Deter Attacks – China must face consequences for its cyber actions. Diplomatic expulsions, sanctions, and legal action against companies aiding CCP cyber activities must become standard responses. As Rob Joyce stated, “Cyber force alone does not stop cyber force—it must be one of many tools.”
- Stronger Defenses – The U.S. must eliminate unpatched systems, replace compromised equipment, and enforce stricter cybersecurity requirements across all sectors. MFA (multi-factor authentication) is not a luxury—it is essential for everyone, from government employees to private businesses.
- Build Resilience – The U.S. must prepare for inevitable cyberattacks. Plans must be in place to rapidly recover from disruptions, whether in utilities, telecom, or the financial sector. Small municipalities, which often lack resources, need targeted funding to bolster their cyber defenses.
Urgent Legislative and Policy Actions
Several key legislative actions and policy recommendations emerged:
- Ban high-risk Chinese tech – Just as the U.S. banned Kaspersky, Congress must take similar action against TP-Link and other CCP-linked firms.
- Increase cybersecurity workforce funding – The U.S. cybersecurity talent gap must be addressed through education, training, and recruitment incentives.
- Strengthen public-private collaboration – The government must work more closely with tech companies to share threat intelligence and enforce security standards.
Next Steps
For IT departments, the findings from this hearing underscore the necessity of proactive cybersecurity measures. The first step is to conduct a thorough security assessment based on an established security framework to identify vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. From there, organizations should implement comprehensive vulnerability management programs, enhance identity verification processes, and eliminate untrusted devices from critical systems.
Collaboration between the private sector and government agencies will be crucial in mitigating risks and improving incident response capabilities. Security teams should prioritize patching known vulnerabilities, adopting zero-trust architectures, and leveraging threat intelligence to anticipate and counter cyber threats effectively.
Organizations should assess their reliance on foreign-manufactured hardware and software, implement best practices for securing infrastructure, and invest in training to keep pace with emerging cyber threats. By fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness and resilience, IT teams can better protect systems and data from increasingly sophisticated attacks.
