The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) escalating cyber espionage against the United States demands a robust and proactive response. Recent reports of CCP-sponsored hackers infiltrating major American cellular networks, capturing real-time phone calls and text messages, and stealing the data of millions of Americans highlight the urgent need for action.
This cyberattack, described by federal authorities as a "broad and significant cyber espionage campaign," reportedly targeted high-profile individuals, including President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, and staffers of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign. However, the full extent of the breach and the number of victims remain unknown.
This incident is not an isolated event. The CCP's increasingly brazen actions, from operating secret police stations within the U.S. to the infamous spy balloon incident, demonstrate a pattern of disregard for American sovereignty. Furthermore, the discovery of Volt Typhoon, a PRC state-sponsored cyber actor, embedded within our critical infrastructure for years, poses a significant threat to essential services like water, electricity, and transportation.
The Biden administration's reactive approach has proven insufficient. A more assertive strategy is required, one that imposes tangible consequences on the CCP for its actions. This includes escalating sanctions against top CCP officials involved in human rights abuses, targeting China's national economic champions, and exposing the illicit activities of senior CCP officials.
Beyond sanctions, the U.S. must strengthen its cyber defenses. This requires overhauling our cyber threat notification system, implementing stricter regulations for private sector information sharing, and empowering cybersecurity teams to proactively hunt for threats.
Volt Typhoon’s sophisticated tactics underscore the evolving nature of cyber warfare. Their ability to disrupt critical infrastructure necessitates a proactive and aggressive defense.
Defending America in the digital age requires a fundamental shift from containment to consequence. The U.S. must adopt a strategy that combines robust defensive measures with targeted offensive operations to deter future CCP aggression. This includes granting greater latitude to government cyber operators and empowering the private sector to play a more active role in identifying and neutralizing threats.
