Christopher Wray is supposed to inform US lawmakers that a possible strike would target water treatment facilities, the electrical grid, and transportation networks.
On Wednesday, he will inform US lawmakers that American civilians are being targeted for “real-world harm” through attacks on vital infrastructure, including transportation networks, water treatment facilities, and the electrical grid.
Speaking before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Mr. Wray is anticipated to comment on the “far too little public focus” that has been placed on a cyberthreat that “every American” is vulnerable to.
A copy of his prepared statements states that he would say the following: “If and when China determines the timing is right to strike, Chinese hackers are positioning themselves on American infrastructure in anticipation of wreaking havoc and causing actual harm to American lives and towns.
“Today, and literally every day, they’re actively attacking our economic security, engaging in wholesale theft of our innovation, and our personal and corporate data.”
The remarks are in line with earlier analyses by commercial cybersecurity companies that have alerted people to China’s persistent threat.
Microsoft claimed last year that Chinese hackers with state support had been attacking US infrastructure and might be setting the technological stage for future crises where the US and Asia’s vital communications might be cut off.
Chinese hackers, according to American company Mandiant, are suspected of exploiting a flaw in a widely used email program to access the networks of hundreds of public and private sector organizations worldwide.
