A NBC article from February 7, 2024: Chinese hackers spent 5 years waiting in U.S. infrastructure, ready to attack, agencies say This article says:
“Chinese hackers have at times secretly hidden in U.S. infrastructure for up to five years, ready to conduct a potentially destructive cyberattack if the two countries were to go to war, federal agencies said Wednesday.”
“The claim was published in a public cybersecurity warning, one of the largest and starkest of its kind, from six U.S. agencies, as well as allied cybersecurity and intelligence agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K.””
FIVE YEARS, the CCP has been working on this…
This NBC article mentions a February 7, 2024 public cybersecurity warning, with a link to a Joint Cyber Advisory by the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada titled PRC State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure.
This isn’t going to be a blog post. It’s a bunch of news links, some quotes and my notes and thoughts on the growing Chinese threat. I’d encourage everyone to do their own research and start paying attention to these news stories about Chinese espionage and other malignant activities.
Last year, with that Chinese spy balloon episode, here’s one of the early reports from February 15, 2023, ABC article: US tracked Chinese balloon from launch, may have accidentally drifted: Official. This article mentions how the narrative shifted:
“U.S. intelligence agencies tracked the Chinese spy balloon from its launch in China and watched as it may have been inadvertently blown into U.S. airspace, a U.S. official has confirmed to ABC News.”
“This latest revelation differs significantly from the previous narrative related by the White House and U.S. military officials over recent days, which has changed repeatedly since the balloon’s existence became public when it was spotted over Montana on Feb. 1.”
The Biden administration’s initial response was to make excuses for the Chinese government and it’s emblematic of how they respond to America’s adversaries – they initially made excuses for Russia with the Ukraine situation. With Iran, at first the Biden administration suggested Iran wasn’t aware of the plans Hamas had of attacking Israel and they suggested Iran didn’t have control over Hamas, They also initially made excuses that Iran didn’t have control over it’s proxies, who are firing missiles and launching drone attacks against American troops. With the Chinese spy balloon last year, there were excuses like the balloon had just drifted off course and also that the Chinese government (CCP) wasn’t aware of this spy balloon effort and the weather balloon activity is run by some military agency.
In each case, once the overwhelming evidence piled up, the Biden administration switched their narrative. It’s important to remember that their initial response is to appease our adversaries, but they’re quick to denigrate American law enforcement immediately. Since Team Biden is the same as Team Obama, with Obama on the sidelines, this is familiar – like Obama chastising the Cambridge police department in 2009: Obama: Police Acted ‘Stupidly’ in Gates Case . Team Biden was quick to latch onto that hyped false border patrol on horseback story accusing them of whipping illegal Haitian immigrants:
September 21, 2021: White House condemns border guard use of whip-like cord against Haitian migrants
July 8, 2022: Biden admin admits Border agents did not ‘whip’ migrants, punishes them anyway
I’ve collected numerous news articles about that Chinese spy balloon and other stories about China’s malevolent actions, because I had been following the Chinese infiltration of America for a long time. There are many tentacles to the Chinese infiltration – from buying up American land, especially close to American military installations, to Huawei cell phone equipment on cell towers, to the mass illegal immigration of Chinese, to even Chinese “tourists” trying to access US military installations. There’s also the persistent political corruption in Washington with the Chinese government buying off American officials (here’s looking at President Biden)…
Huawei is a Chinese cell tech giant. Here’s a July 25, 2022 CNN story: CNN Exclusive: FBI investigation determined Chinese-made Huawei equipment could disrupt US nuclear arsenal communications. This CNN article states:
“Since at least 2017, federal officials have investigated Chinese land purchases near critical infrastructure, shut down a high-profile regional consulate believed by the US government to be a hotbed of Chinese spies and stonewalled what they saw as clear efforts to plant listening devices near sensitive military and government facilities.”
“Among the most alarming things the FBI uncovered pertains to Chinese-made Huawei equipment atop cell towers near US military bases in the rural Midwest. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the FBI determined the equipment was capable of capturing and disrupting highly restricted Defense Department communications, including those used by US Strategic Command, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons.”
July 25, 2022 Article from The Warzone by Thomas Newdick: Nuclear Experts Question Possible Effects Of Chinese Cell Towers On U.S. Missile Silos
In 2019, the Trump administration banned Huawei and the FCC developed a “Rip and Replace” program, to aid cell phone companies to replace the Huawei equipment. However, that program has run into funding and implementation snags along the way. Smaller cell phone companies (often in rural areas, which is also where some of our most critical nuclear bases are located) are much more likely to have Huawei equipment, which was cheaper and these smaller companies are less likely to have the money to replace it, like the big cell phone companies. There have been delays along the way with Congressional funding to assist small companies to remove the Huawei equipment.
Last year, March 30, 2023, FOX News reported: Chinese illegal immigrants are crossing into US in unprecedented numbers. This report states:
“Chinese nationals are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into the U.S. in unprecedented numbers this year, with the first few months of FY 2023 already eclipsing the total for 2022.”
“The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports that just under 2,000 Chinese nationals crossed the border in FY 2022, but the first few months of FY 2023 have already seen 4,300 encounters, according to federal data.”
Let’s move along:
April 3, 2023 – Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence from sensitive U.S. military sites, despite U.S. efforts to block it
April 3, 2023 – Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence from US military sites: report – This is a NY Post article – includes map of the path of Chinese spy balloon and list of US military sites:
Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana – One of three bases that maintains and operates Minuteman III ICBMs.
Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska – Headquarters of US Strategic Command, overseeing America’s nuclear forces.
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas – Home of the Army’s Combined Arms Center & key officer training location.
Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri – Home to the B-2 stealth bomber.
Fort Campbell, Kentucky – Home of the Army’s 10st Airborne Division, a key rapid-deployment unit.
Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina – One of the Air Force’s largest bases.
Naval Weapons Station, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina – Home to two nuclear submarine squadrons.
Most people forgot about the Chinese spy balloon incident and I doubt most people care one iota about the subsequent news reports. America was following the illegal immigration invasion though.
April 18, 2023 – Mayorkas to testify on border crisis after visiting Darien Gap
April 19, 2023 FOX News report: Reporter says he filmed hundreds of military-age Chinese men heading toward US in migrant groups
July 29, 2023 – Biden administration searching for Chinese malware with potential to disrupt military: Report
“The Biden administration is searching for malware it believes China has buried in networks that control a variety of utilities to military bases, according to a report from the New York Times, which Fox News has not yet independently confirmed.
“One congressional official told the New York Times that the malware is “a ticking time bomb” which could hand China power to disrupt movement of the U.S. military by shutting off water, power, and communications to bases.”
July 29, 2023 – Chinese Malware Could Cut Power To U.S. Military Bases, Businesses And Homes, Report Claims
July 25,2023 – CNN Exclusive: FBI investigation determined Chinese-made Huawei equipment could disrupt US nuclear arsenal communications
“The administration believes malicious computer code has been hidden inside “networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases,” officials told the Times. The discovery has heightened concerns that hackers could “disrupt US military operations in the event of a conflict,” according to the Times. The two nations have been increasingly at odds over Taiwan as well as over China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific.”
“One congressional official told the newspaper that the malware was “a ticking time bomb” that could allow China to cut off power, water and communications to military bases, slowing deployments and resupply operations. Because military bases often share the same supply infrastructure as civilian homes and businesses, many other Americans could also be affected, officials told the Times.”
August 7, 2023 – U.S. Military Systems Infected by Chinese Malware: How Deep Does It Run?
“The Chinese malware appears to be primarily targeted at overseas military bases that would likely be in heavy use in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. But homes and businesses in the area would also be impacted, as the critical infrastructure is shared between military systems and civilian residential or business areas.”
“The threat is not limited to overseas territories or bases, however, as the officials indicated that the Chinese malware could also likely cut off utilities to civilian areas of the continental United States. Indications are that this particular campaign has been active since at least mid-2021, and traces of the code that targeted military systems in Guam has also been found stateside.”
Sept. 4, 2023 – FBI tracks over 100 incidents of Chinese nationals posing as tourists to breach US military sites: report
“The FBI and Department of Defense have reportedly tracked more than 100 incidents of Chinese nationals posing as tourists to attempt to breach U.S. military bases and other federal sites.”
“Those responsible, dubbed “gate crashers,” range from Chinese nationals detected crossing into a U.S. missile range in New Mexico, to scuba divers caught swimming in murky waters near a U.S. government rocket launch site in Florida, several U.S. officials recently told The Wall Street Journal. The growing trend represents a potential espionage threat, as authorities believe the Chinese government in some cases is compelling nationals into service in order to test out and report back about security practices at the installations.”
Dec. 3, 2023 – Weekly U.S.-Mexico Border Update: Congress negotiations, increased arrivals, migration from China
“U.S. authorities encountered over 28,000 citizens of China at the U.S.-Mexico border over the 12 months ending in October, a more than tenfold increase over the previous 12 months, with more than 8,000 arriving in September and October. Most are coming to San Diego. People who flee China tend to be middle class or lower middle class. They are escaping persecution but also cite fears of falling into poverty as the world’s second-largest economy falters.”
So, in March of 2023, officials were warning about the dramatic increase of Chinese illegals flooding across our southern border and by December, US authorities encountered over 28,000.
There’s a February 1, 2024, Bret Weinstein interview with Tucker Carlson, How China and the UN are Fueling the Invasion of America, about Weinstein’s trip to the Darien Gap in Panama to try to understand what’s going on. I watched this interview and also watched his January 31, 2024 YouTube channel video: Trojan Migration? The 210th Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying on what he saw in Panama. Weinstein is an evolutionary biologist, not a journalist, and he did his graduate research in Panama, so he was curious about what’s going on in the Darien Gap, which gets mentioned in news reports frequently in regards to this illegal migration. DHS Secretary, Myorkas, took a trip to Panama last year to see the Darien Gap too. Weinstein also related how what used to be the US’s Central Command headquarters formerly Fort Clayton, which President Carter signed away, is now home to the City of Knowledge, which looks like a UN-funded effort and it’s also home to one of the UN’s two global administrative center of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
I am not a Tucker Carlson fan, but I think this interview is worth watching and considering. Hopefully, our CIA and US military have been paying close attention to what’s going on in the Darien Gap too, but watching that Chinese spy balloon fiasco last year, my hopes aren’t high.
Moving along some more:
January 31, 2024 – U.S. Government Disrupts Botnet People’s Republic of China Used to Conceal Hacking of Critical Infrastructure
I mentioned this December 28, 2023 NBC News report about the Chinese spy balloon in a previous post: U.S. intelligence officials determined the Chinese spy balloon used a U.S. internet provider to communicate. So, we went through many “official” narratives about the Chinese spy balloon and I doubt this December story got much attention, since most people are fixated on all the culture war dramas and presidential political dramas. Who cares about a year-old story? That article stated:
“The balloon connected to a U.S.-based company, according to the assessment, to send and receive communications from China, primarily related to its navigation. Officials familiar with the assessment said it found that the connection allowed the balloon to send burst transmissions, or high-bandwidth collections of data over short periods of time.”
“Primarily related to its navigation,” so what about the other things that weren’t part of navigation?
Okay, well, did it connect to Chinese nationals on the ground in America?