A Chinese-sponsored "cyber actor" has infiltrated US critical infrastructure networks, Washington, its Western allies and Microsoft claimed on Wednesday, warning that similar campaigns could take place around the world. In a joint advisory, cybersecurity authorities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand warned of "a group of activities" associated with "a cyber actor state-sponsored People's Republic of China, also known as the Volt Typhoon".
"This activity affects the networks of critical infrastructure sectors of the United States" and the entity carrying out the attack "could apply the same techniques ... worldwide", they added. In a separate statement, Microsoft explained that "Volt Typhoon" has been active since mid-2021 and has targeted, among other things, critical infrastructure on the island of Guam, which hosts a major US military base in the Pacific Ocean.
This campaign risks "disrupting critical communications infrastructure between the United States and the Asian region in future crises," Microsoft warned. "The observed behavior suggests that the threat actor intends to eavesdrop and maintain access (to infrastructure) undetected for as long as possible," the US technology group added.
