White House Representative Stephen Viña Warns of Rising China Cyber Threat
White House representative Stephen Viña served as keynote speaker at the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.’s (NMFTA)™ Cybersecurity Conference last week, and shared that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has remained the most active and persistent cyber threat to the U.S. government, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks.
In his session, Viña confirmed the latest trends, forecasts, and matters of urgency as they related to disruptive threats to critical infrastructure, supply chain exploitation, AI-enabled cybersecurity threats and an increase in ransomware attacks.
“In January, the National Cyber Director testified in front of Congress along with colleagues from CISA, NSA, and the FBI about this threat from the PRC, dubbed Volt Typhoon,” said Viña, representing the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director. “Volt Typhoon conducted cyber operations focused not on financial gain, espionage, or state secrets but on developing deep access to our critical infrastructure. This includes the energy sector transportation systems, among many others. A prolonged interruption to these critical services could disrupt our ability to mobilize in the event of a national emergency or conflict and can create panic among our citizens. Ultimately, if trucking stops, America stops.”
The U.S. Naval Institute recently provided a breakdown of the three publicly disclosed Typhoon threat actor groups: Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, and Salt Typhoon. Volt Typhoons specifically use a technique known as living off the land, which involves using built-in tools on the target network to execute objectives without installing malware (which may be detected).
Viña disclosed that the administration has in process significant ongoing work to help assess and strengthen the resilience of this country’s supply chain from both digital and physical threats. The PRC’s cyber activity also goes beyond just prepositioning for future conflict.
“Today and literally every day, they are actively attacking our economic security, engaging in wholesale theft of our innovation and our personal and corporate data,” continued Viña. “And yes, they continue to conduct espionage and steal state secrets, as has been the case in the news recently. We also know that nation-state actors from Russia, Iran, and North Korea are responsible for a wide range of malicious activity that impacts the United States, our allies, and our partners.”
NMFTA recently hosted its Cybersecurity Conference which brought in industry professionals and media from every sector. This was a sold-out conference. Attendees heard from cybersecurity experts at Estes Express Lines, Ward Transport & Logistics, Werner Enterprises, XPO, and more.
“Our annual Cybersecurity Conference offers a snapshot of the extensive cybersecurity resources NMFTA provides year-round,” said Debbie Sparks, executive director for NMFTA. “It is an opportunity for security professionals, academia, government experts, vendors, and members of the media to unite and openly discuss the challenges we face daily with cybersecurity and provide solutions to those issues. It’s a chance to become more aware of what we’re up against, stay informed, and remain proactively alert. We’re thrilled with this year’s turnout and are already preparing for next year’s event in Austin, TX.”
