This is your Tech Shield: US vs China Updates podcast.
Hey there, I'm Ting, and I'm here to give you the lowdown on the latest US vs China cyber updates. Let's dive right in.
Just a few days ago, on January 17, 2025, former President Joe Biden issued an executive order titled Strengthening and Promoting Innovation in the Nation's Cybersecurity (EO 14144). This order aims to bolster cybersecurity across federal systems, supply chains, and critical infrastructure, particularly against threats from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Key measures include mandatory secure software attestations, enhanced identity and access management using phishing-resistant technologies, and transitioning to post-quantum cryptographic standards[1].
But why is this so important? Well, China's sophisticated cyber program represents a significant threat to US critical infrastructure. CISA Director Jen Easterly recently testified about these threats before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, emphasizing the real possibility of a crisis in Asia affecting American citizens at home. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to achieve "reunification" with Taiwan, which could lead to disruptive attacks against US critical infrastructure[4].
In response, CISA has been working with federal government and industry partners to identify and evict Chinese cyber actors from critical infrastructure networks. They've detected and disrupted campaigns like "Salt Typhoon" and "Volt Typhoon," which targeted US telecommunications and critical infrastructure. CISA's Threat Hunting team has been instrumental in this effort, and their work was recognized in the Congressional Record by Representative Mark E. Green of Tennessee[4].
Additionally, the NSA, FBI, and Cyber National Mission Force issued a joint advisory about China-linked cyber actors compromising thousands of small office and home routers to create a botnet for malicious activity. This botnet, known as "Flax Typhoon," consisted of over 260,000 devices worldwide[5].
So, what's being done to counter these threats? CISA is leading three lines of effort: helping victims identify and evict PRC cyber actors, initiating a cyber defense planning effort with industry partners, and delivering services to reduce risks posed by PRC cyber actors. They're also deploying their CyberSentry threat detection capability and Attack Surface Management services to nearly 7,000 critical infrastructure organizations[4].
In conclusion, the US is taking significant steps to strengthen its cyber defenses against Chinese threats. With new protection measures, vulnerability patches, and government advisories, the US is working to stay ahead of the game. However, as CISA Director Jen Easterly noted, there's still much work to be done to address the relentless PRC cyber campaign. Stay vigilant, folks.
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