This is your US-China CyberPulse: Defense Updates podcast.

Hey, it's Ting here, your cyber-savvy guide through the digital trenches of the US-China tech cold war! The past week has been absolutely wild in cybersecurity circles, and I'm here to break it down for you.

So, the Trump administration has been doubling down on its offensive cybersecurity approach against China this week. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz's recent push for "higher costs and harsher consequences" against nations executing cyberattacks is clearly aimed at Beijing. This follows the extensive executive order Trump signed back on Inauguration Day expanding controls on Chinese connected products.

The tension's been building since those "Typhoon campaigns" were exposed last year - Salt Typhoon breaking into US telecom networks and Volt Typhoon burrowing into American critical infrastructure. As cybersecurity advisor Tom Kellermann warned last month, "China will retaliate with systemic cyber attacks as tensions simmer over. The typhoon campaigns have given them a robust foothold within critical infrastructure."

What's especially concerning is what Annie Fixler from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told The Register: "China has in essence pre-set bombs across U.S. critical infrastructure." Yikes! Not exactly comforting bedtime reading, folks.

In response, the US has been implementing a multi-pronged strategy. First, there's been increased intelligence collection on China's network of cyber proxies - identifying key actors and their relationships with government entities like the Ministry of State Security.

Second, the US is leveraging China's dependence on global internet infrastructure. By collaborating with infrastructure owners and providers, the government is working to detect and neutralize PLA-linked cyber activities before they can be deployed.

Third, and perhaps most impactful, is the tightening of restrictions on China's access to Western cloud computing, AI resources, and advanced semiconductor technology. The Commerce Department has been closing loopholes in export controls, particularly targeting technologies that enable Chinese cyber operations.

Private sector partnerships are proving crucial in this effort. Tech companies have been implementing enhanced monitoring of network traffic from Chinese IPs, with some even outright blocking suspicious traffic patterns. This public-private collaboration represents a shift from the more siloed approach of previous years.

The big question remains whether these defensive measures will be enough to counter what intelligence agencies are calling China's "operational preparation of the battlefield" in cyberspace. As someone who's been tracking this space for years, I can tell you we're entering uncharted waters in this digital great game.

Stay safe out there in cyberspace, folks! This is Ting, signing off until next week's cyber pulse check.

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