Chinese government kicks off 2025 with new cyber attacks
The new year started with the same troubling news. Once again, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been accused by U.S. government officials of sponsoring hacks aimed at accessing sensitive information about American citizens and government operations. This time, the series of hacks targeted the Department of Treasury as well as private American telecommunications companies.
CCP Cyber Attacks Against U.S. Rapidly Increased in 2024
The number of Chinese cyber-attacks against private entities in the United States continually increased in 2024. It was announced last week that a ninth American telecommunications company was hit by hackers as part of a Chinese espionage campaign. The White House said they have not even been able to quantify how many Americans may have had their data stolen in these private sector breaches.
Attacks on the U.S. government are also on the rise. In the most recent event, a Chinese state-sponsored actor stole documents from the Department of Treasury in what the Department described as a “major incident.” The hackers were apparently able to “override the service’s security, remotely access certain Treasury DO user workstations.” This means that the CCP’s state-sponsored hackers had full access to the computers of government workers inside Treasury.
States Must Step Up Protections
The Chinese government’s efforts to hack public and private entities within the United States are only going to become more numerous and sophisticated in 2025. While awareness of the attacks is growing, it has done little to slow the CCP’s resolve. It is essential that states around the country recognize the threat and begin to enact comprehensive defenses that supplement federal protections.
The Protecting America Initiative has outlined several legislative actions that states can take to help defend the threat of CCP and attacks. These proposals include:
Decouple state intelligence and infrastructure from China by banning taxpayer dollars from buying or using Chinese technology equipment for any government operations.
Prohibit Chinese components that can be easily hacked from being used in energy grids and communications networks.
Increase state penalties against foreign agents or actors who participate in hacking or espionage.
Every state should immediately adopt a ban against local governments contracting with entities from China or controlled by the CCP.
Ban direct and indirect incentives for Chinese companies operating in the U.S.
States can play a pivotal role in keeping entities controlled by the Chinese Communist government out of American telecommunications and power infrastructure. This would be a major step toward limiting our vulnerabilities and stopping hacks. The Protecting America Initiative will help lead the way to see these policies turned into laws.