Foreign Hack of Broadband Networks Reinforces the Importance of Strong Cybersecurity
In an effort investigators have labeled “Salt Typhoon,” Chinese-affiliated hackers have breached the networks of a series of American internet service providers, according to news that broke late September.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)reported that “For months or longer, the hackers might have held access to network infrastructure used to cooperate with lawful U.S. requests for communications data, according to people familiar with the matter, which amounts to a major national security risk.” The breached companies include Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen.
This is the continuation of a long-standing pattern. According to U.S. officials, various Chinese-affiliated hackers have successfully accessed American critical infrastructure, including gas pipelines and airports. Recent months have brought the news of several cyber campaigns traced back to Beijing.
“In Salt Typhoon, the actors linked to China burrowed into America’s broadband networks,” WSJ said. “In this type of intrusion, bad actors aim to establish a foothold within the infrastructure of cable and broadband providers that would allow them to access data stored by telecommunications companies or launch a damaging cyberattack.”
For government officials, businesspeople, and average Americans, these developments should serve as a reminder that, increasingly, every internet-connected device, system, and network is a vulnerability and a potential point of access for cybercriminals. Hostile actors can – and, at some point, likely will – target everything from critical infrastructure to the personal devices of American citizens.
This is a stark reminder that strengthening cybersecurity must be a top priority. This is undoubtably a difficult task, because the cybersecurity landscape is developing rapidly, especially due to new breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. The bad guys are always innovating new ways to commit cybercrime, and the good guys are always trying to stay a step or more ahead.
But most basic thing that lawmakers can do is to follow the Hippocratic principle: Do no harm. Despite the political temptation, cybersecurity should not be sacrificed to advance ill-considered antitrust and other policy proposals. Doing so would endanger American users and give a leg up to ordinary criminals and hostile foreign actors alike.
Published on October 7, 2024