At a glance.
- China and Russia join forces in fighting the West.
- White House announces RFI on cyber regulation.
China and Russia join forces in fighting the West.
Foreign Affairs offers an in-depth look at how China and Russia have partnered to target the US with cyber aggression in an effort to cripple America’s technical advantages. The author states that the two countries have taken advantage of America’s focus on the war on terror since the early aughts, using it as a distraction while China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) hackers targeted US government and corporations to steal scientific and political secrets.
The MSS effectively opened a campaign against US intelligence in 2005, and by 2010 had compromised a Chinese-based US Central Intelligence Agency network, rounding up over a dozen US sources. China’s current president Xi Jinping has been very vocal about his goal of advancing the PRC to leading military and economic power in the world, and a crucial part of his strategy is to progress China’s technological command to such a degree that the rest of the globe becomes dependent on the nation. When Russia declared war on Ukraine last year, President Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin committed to a “no limits” alliance focused on destroying the West’s control in the tech world.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning yesterday denied US accusations that China is hacking US government systems, PressTV reports. On the contrary, she claimed, the US should be scrutinized for its attacks targeting other countries. “China is a victim of cyber attacks and we firmly oppose all forms of cyber attacks,” Mao stated. “The US has long carried out indiscriminate and large-scale cyber attacks on countries around the world.” She went on to say that US Cyber Command last year listed the critical infrastructure of other countries as potential targets for US attacks. “This practice is worrying," Mao stated. She added that the US’s accusations of China-backed cyberattacks were “groundless” and urged American leaders to instead focus on international cooperation.
White House announces RFI on cyber regulation.
As a follow up to the release of the White House’s National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan last week, the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) yesterday issued a request for information (RFI) seeking input from the public on how to harmonize the nation’s approach to cyber regulation. The announcement from the ONCD reads, “When cybersecurity regulations of the same underlying technology are inconsistent or contradictory — or where they are duplicative but enforced differently by different regulators — consumers pay more, and our national security suffers.” NextGov notes that the RFI seeks feedback from a range of participants with cybersecurity knowledge including advocacy groups, academia, and industry associations. The hope is that the information gathered will be used to establish a potential framework for regulatory reciprocity.