TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese malware recently identified by U.S. officials as being in a number of defense systems could disrupt military communications, inlcuding a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, New York Times reported on Saturday (July 30).
Chinese government-backed hackers are believed to have planted malicious computer codes into "networks controlling power grids, communications systems and water supplies that feed military bases," officials told the Times.
One congressional official said the malware could allow China to cut off power, water and communications to military bases, slowing deployments and resupply operations.
In response, emergency meetings were held among Pentagon and intelligence officials, who vowed to hunt down Chinese malware and remove what an official described as a "tickbomb."
Two weeks ago, U.S. government officials said that a Chinese hacking operation had snagged email accounts associated with 25 organizations, including government agencies, targeted by the Chinese government during an intrusion into Microsoft's cloud security in mid-May. Microsoft responded in a blog post by saying the culprit was a China-based actor.
