In July, the United States joined seven other countries in advising on the recent activities of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, Advanced Persistent Threat 40, or APT40. The group conducts cybersecurity for China’s Ministry of State Security, and its hacking attempts have become increasingly common and menacing.
Australia led and published the advisory. In addition to the United States and Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Japan and South Korea all signed it.
Such a unified effort is rare. It is rare that eight countries find common ground against one cyber enemy. Countries worldwide are beginning to realize that China will do just about anything to become the sole global technological superpower.
APT40 operatives disguise themselves as legitimate internet users and target vulnerable networks. The organization deploys calculated reconnaissance to exploit weaknesses in software and then uses compromised devices, such as our personal laptops, to launch attacks and blend in with regular users.
The United States has identified APT40’s cyber activity in diverse industries: academia, aerospace/aviation, biomedical, military industrial base, education, government, healthcare, manufacturing, maritime, research institutes and transportation.
Unfortunately, APT40 and its schemes are only one example of China’s continuous efforts to damage and disrupt American infrastructure, undermine American intellectual property, and derail American innovation.
The United States has experienced Chinese hackers corrupting our computers, attacking our universities, and even trying to infiltrate our military. China’s assault on the United States may not involve weapons or heavy artillery, but perhaps more dangerously, it aims to destroy our country from within.
Attacks on critical infrastructure can disrupt essential systems such as transportation, oil and gas supply, electrical grids, water distribution, wastewater collection and e-commerce. The interconnected nature of these infrastructures means that a failure in one area can lead to widespread repercussions across other areas.
As we recognize the vulnerabilities in these systems, it becomes clear that protecting the intellectual property that fuels them is equally important.
Indeed, the innovation produced from intellectual property is also very much at risk. American technology and innovation have dramatically improved lives and have resulted in broad economic growth in the United States. Innovation is responsible for groundbreaking products, life-saving medicines and revolutionary devices. It is the engine that pushes America forward.
U.S. intellectual property is on China’s radar, which is why protecting it from China’s hacking and thieving is an issue of utmost concern. The advisory signed by the United States is a step in the right direction. However, there is still work to be done.
Unfortunately, some policymakers have become distracted with inward-focused issues that include measures that would weaken America’s technology edge by breaking up some of the leading domestic companies and preventing collaboration among American companies. Such measures are shortsighted and take energy away from combating cyber enemies from abroad.
Policymakers must continue to point to threats like China rather than enforcing superfluous and stifling regulations on technology companies within our borders.