The FBI director describes China as the
The FBI director describes China as the "greatest" threat to the United States, and authorities warn of North Korean cyber threats
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On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaking alongside his British counterpart in London, branded China the “greatest long-term threat” to both the US and the UK.

“The Chinese government is hell-bent on stealing your technology — whatever makes your industry tick — and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market,” Wray warned in a speech to international business leaders. “And they aim to utilise every means available to them to do this.”

Wray also warned of potential Chinese officials’ practises, claiming that they steal technology by using intelligence personnel to “target” valuable pieces of information and organisations.

“We’ve even seen people tied to Chinese firms out in the American heartland slipping into fields to dig up proprietary, genetically engineered seeds that would have taken them nearly a decade and billions of dollars to manufacture themselves,” Wray continued. “And those efforts pale in comparison to their lavishly resourced hacking programme, which is larger than that of every other major nation combined.”

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According to Wray, the Chinese utilise cyber to “steal” large amounts of information. He stated that US authorities are working with MI5, the British intelligence organisation, to discover further expenditures made by the Chinese government in proxy connections – a type of third-party venue through which China takes information.

Wray added that US companies should be weary of doing business with or in China, something he has previously warned against, and he invited business leaders to contact the FBI for further information on how to mitigate the Chinese cyber threat.

His warning was the latest example of the United States reacting to what they call Chinese aggressiveness. Relations between the United States and China have developed since President Joe Biden took office – his predecessor, Donald Trump, launched a trade war with the country – and the United States and China remain strongly entwined, albeit they frequently disagree on many subjects.

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Following a phone contact between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this year, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry stated, “The US-China relationship has yet to escape from the quagmire created by the previous US administration, instead encountering more and more hurdles. The US has misinterpreted and misjudged China’s geopolitical ambitions.”

Wray warned on Wednesday that if China invaded Taiwan, the economic chaos caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent worldwide censure may be repeated on a much larger scale.

Wray finished by adding that the United States and the United Kingdom were collaborating to address this threat.

His statements came as American law enforcement and the Treasury Department warned the public about another overseas foe, this time aimed at hospital systems.

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North Korean-backed cyber actors are targeting the health care and public health sectors, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, and the Treasury Department on Wednesday.

According to an advice issued by American officials, these attackers utilise Maui ransomware, a specialised malware with a North Korean trademark, to target health care sectors and hold their systems ransom in exchange for payment.

The sources stated that since May 2021, the agencies had observed and responded to “several” Maui ransomware instances originating in North Korea.

According to the advice, “North Korean state-sponsored cyber attackers used Maui ransomware to encrypt machines responsible for healthcare services, such as electronic health records services, diagnostics services, imaging services, and intranet services.” “In some circumstances, these acts had a long-term effect on the services offered by the targeted HPH Sector enterprises.”

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The authorities believe that because health care institutions “offer services important to human life and health,” they are more likely to pay ransoms if they are attacked. Instead of paying the ransom, law enforcement suggests contacting CISA or the FBI.

“As a result of this presumption,” the sources wrote, “the FBI, CISA, and Treasury believe North Korean state-sponsored actors will continue to target HPH Sector firms.”