Security Experts Urge Stronger US Measures Against China’s Cyber Espionage Threat
“We are currently not winning in the telecommunications and cyber espionage arena,” remarked cybersecurity expert James Lewis.
In light of a significant breach of U.S. telecommunications networks attributed to the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group Salt Typhoon, experts are urging the U.S. government to intensify its efforts to combat cyber espionage from communist China.
“It is evident from recent incidents that China, along with Moscow and Tehran, does not perceive any significant repercussions from the U.S. in regard to cyber attacks, limiting their concern for the costs involved or expected U.S. governmental responses.”
Mulvenon indicated that while the U.S. has implemented various deterrence measures through equipment and software enhancements, it has yet to adopt strategies that impose punitive measures against China for their cyber activities.
Punitive actions could take the form of imposing costs on China across different domains, Mulvenon said, adding that the “world is anticipating” a U.S. response to the recent Chinese hacking incidents.
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“Cyber deterrence hinges on a response policy from Cyber Command and various sectors of the U.S. government that would impose costs on China, ultimately altering their considerations regarding the anticipated benefits of future cyber attacks and intrusions,” Mulvenon explained.
Mulvenon assured that the United States possesses the necessary capabilities to retaliate, including cyber tools.
“This is not a question of capabilities,” he emphasized. “It is fundamentally a discussion about political will and decision-making at the National Command Authority.”
‘Actually Do Something’
Another witness at the hearing was James Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Lewis advocated for a dual strategy for confronting Chinese cyber threats, which involves warning Beijing followed by decisive action.
“You must begin by informing the Chinese: ‘This behavior is intolerable. You have crossed a line, and if you do not cease, we will respond immediately,'” Lewis asserted.
“The next step is to follow through with actual actions.”
Lewis suggested that the Cyber Command or the National Security Agency could formulate a “menu of responses,” which would include targeting China’s cyber attack infrastructure.
“Then you need to return to the Chinese and make it clear that you weren’t joking. At this point, would you like to engage in a dialogue?” Lewis added.
Salt Typhoon is not the sole Chinese state-sponsored cyber threat group that U.S. authorities have recognized in recent months.
Lewis emphasized that Salt Typhoon is part of a “broader Chinese initiative to systematically exploit global telecommunications infrastructures.”
The December 11 hearing was convened by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. Among those present were Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.).
“Everyone on this committee is a target” of Salt Typhoon, Lewis remarked to the lawmakers.
In his remarks to the American public regarding Salt Typhoon, Lewis asserted: “We are currently not winning in this telecommunications and cyber espionage contest, and the essential services they rely on—whether it’s package delivery, telecommunications, or electricity—are all endangered and could be held hostage by hostile foreign entities.”
