U.S. Navy missile submarine.
U.S. Navy | Associated Press
U.S. Navy hit by Chinese state-sponsored hacking Microsoft Earlier this week, Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan on Thursday.
Del Toro said the U.S. Navy “has been affected by cyberattacks,” adding that “it’s not surprising that China has been behaving in this way, not just for the past few years, but for decades.”
He declined to provide further details about the intrusion, but said the Navy has been battling such cyberattacks for years.
Microsoft, along with top intelligence agencies and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, issued an alert Wednesday to alert businesses and public corporations that a sophisticated Chinese state-backed hacking group has successfully exploited a vulnerability in a popular cybersecurity suite.
Microsoft said on Wednesday that the vulnerability, exploited by a group code-named “Volt Typhoon,” affected critical network infrastructure across a range of industries. Microsoft noted that Chinese hackers targeted the communications and maritime sector in Guam, home to a key U.S. military base.
Microsoft noted that the hacking group appears to have been focused on surveillance rather than destruction.But senior intelligence officials and researchers expressed concern that Guam was being targeted, saying New York Times The island territory is crucial to fending off long-feared Chinese aggression against Taiwan.
China’s foreign ministry and state-controlled media dismissed the findings from Microsoft and the intelligence community as “disinformation.”
Earlier Thursday, a State Department spokesman said it was vital that the government and the public remain vigilant. “We will continue to work with our allies and partners to address this critical issue,” spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing.