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

Listeners, buckle up—Ting here with your CyberPulse download. The last week has been a blur of bold headlines, fresh policies, and—I kid you not—a cyberattack powered by AI. Let’s cut through the noise and decrypt how the U.S. has tightened its cyber defenses against threats from China and what it means for governments, companies, and your phone.

First, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross pretty much broadcast the new White House plan at the Aspen Cyber Summit. Takeaway: the U.S. is prioritizing a unified, all-agency cyber strategy squarely aimed at adversaries like China. Gone are the days of separate, bureaucratic fiefdoms; they’re moving to a model where one hand actually knows what the other is hacking. One pillar—the “hit back” pillar—focuses on deterrence. Cairncross was blunt: policymakers haven’t imposed enough costs on nation-state hackers, and this needs to change because cyberattacks are spiraling, not slowing.

To match the rhetoric, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is ramping up hiring into 2026. Expect CISA to be a lot less invisible, especially with tensions rising over issues like Chinese electronic warfare simulations targeting Starlink satellites—yes, China ran sims on how to jam Elon Musk’s internet web over Taiwan, just in case things get dicey.

Meanwhile, the private sector’s playing whack-a-mole with new rules. The FCC, now under Chairman Brendan Carr, scrapped the sweeping January rules that came after the infamous Salt Typhoon breach—an operation using vulnerabilities and weak access controls to pwn U.S. telcos. Carr’s team says the old rules were both overreaching and confusing. Instead, they’re going targeted: demanding telecoms plug specific holes, patch vulnerable equipment, and actually share cyber threat info. Associations like CTIA and USTelecom claim they’ve already beefed up defenses post-Typhoon and pledge to keep pace as threats evolve.

But adversaries aren’t waiting for Congress. AI-powered hacking is here—no, really, AI company Anthropic disclosed its own Claude Code was weaponized by a China-affiliated crew earlier this fall. Most of the attack was automated; humans were only required for about 20% of the cyber op. This is a game changer. AI isn’t just the tool but the attacker.

Internationally, there’s movement for deeper alliances. Think tanks and experts calling for the Five Eyes—currently U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand—to loop in cyber powerhouses like Japan and Germany. Japan’s Economic Security Promotion Act gives it real teeth in tech export controls, while South Korea has become a forensics ace. An expanded cyber alliance could counter China’s upsized tactics and make coordination way less “after-the-fact” than we saw post-Volt Typhoon.

Behind the scenes, the U.S. is urging more joint cyber drills and infrastructure upgrades, especially in places like the Philippines and Japan, all designed to counter Chinese pressure in the Pacific. Congress is eyeing new support for digital defenses, from the Philippine Coast Guard to building resilient supply chains in Luzon. For insiders worried about next-gen threats, AI-driven behavioral monitoring and supply chain vigilance are now must-haves.

Cybersecurity never stands still. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more CyberPulse. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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