U.S. and British officials have issued warnings about the rising potential risks from China's increasing cyber and espionage activities, Reuters reports.
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Anne Keast-Butler, the director of Britain's Government Communications Headquarters, stated at a security conference that countering Beijing's alleged cyber activities is a top priority, noting that China's actions could destabilize international norms.
U.S. National Cyber Director Harry Coker highlighted that Chinese military hackers are bypassing U.S. defenses on an unprecedented scale, and observed that "in a crisis or conflict scenario, China could use their pre-positioned cyber capabilities to wreak havoc in civilian infrastructure and deter U.S. military action." He referenced the recent major cyberespionage campaign called Volt Typhoon, where Chinese hackers used a global network of compromised servers and personal computers to infiltrate critical U.S. infrastructure.
FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that this campaign aims to deter U.S. support for Taiwan.
Despite Beijing's denials, these activities have intensified concerns and strained Sino-Western relations.