This is your Red Alert: China's Daily Cyber Moves podcast.

You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had—I’m Ting, your go-to expert on China, cyber, and all things a little too close to a real-life dystopian novel. Let me break down what’s been going on with China’s cyber moves, because this week has been nothing short of a digital rollercoaster.

It started with whispers from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Their 2025 Threat Assessment made it clear: China’s cyber operations, particularly the infamous Volt Typhoon group, are a looming menace to U.S. infrastructure. Think oil pipelines, water systems, telecoms—the kind of critical stuff you really don’t want to lose on a Monday morning. The report emphasized that Beijing has been pre-positioning access to these systems, essentially planting digital time bombs designed to go off in the event of a crisis, like a Taiwan conflict. Worrying? Yes. But surprising? Not really. China has been playing the long game, strategically infiltrating U.S. networks for years.

Then came Thursday. The FBI and CISA dropped an alert about a new wave of Ghost ransomware attacks, traced back to Chinese hackers. This isn’t amateur hour—Ghost ransomware has hit over 70 countries, targeting healthcare, government, and even religious institutions. These actors are clever, constantly rotating payloads and tweaking their methods, making them maddeningly hard to pin down. The implications? Beyond financial mayhem, ransomware like this can paralyze emergency services and disrupt daily life, leaving us scrambling at the worst possible time.

And today? The timeline gets even grimmer. The Chinese government released a fiery statement accusing the U.S. of cyberattacks on its networks during the Asian Winter Games earlier this year. According to Beijing, the attacks aimed to disrupt critical Chinese infrastructure. Of course, this adds fuel to an already blazing cyber rivalry. But here’s the kicker: while China points fingers, the U.S. has fresh evidence of Chinese operations targeting Guam’s telecom sector—an alarming move that signals prep for a potential Taiwan standoff.

Escalation is a real possibility. If Beijing believes a conflict is imminent, it could unleash a cyber blitz, targeting U.S. critical infrastructure to sow chaos and cripple military response capabilities. It’s the ultimate asymmetric warfare, and we’re not as ready as we should be.

So, what’s next? The FBI and CISA are urging heightened defenses—think robust patching, constant monitoring, and public-private partnerships to harden our systems. But here’s the thing: cyberwarfare is like chess. It’s not just about reacting; it’s about anticipating the next move. The U.S. needs to step up its game, or we’ll be playing catch-up while Beijing calls checkmate. Stay sharp, folks. This digital war is just heating up.

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