The Biden regime is currently engaged in an extensive hunt for malicious computer code suspected to have been hidden by China within U.S. infrastructure network, The New York Times reported Saturday.
These systems control power grids, communication systems, and water supplies that serve both the general public and military bases in the United States and around the world, according to U.S. military, intelligence, and national security officials.
The detection of this malware has triggered multiple meetings in the White House’s Situation Room in recent months, igniting fears that Chinese hackers, likely linked to the People’s Liberation Army, have planted this code with the intention to disrupt U.S. military operations in the event of a conflict, specifically over Taiwan.
Senior officials from the National Security Council, the Pentagon, the Homeland Security Department, and the nation’s spy agencies have convened to understand the scale of the issue and formulate a response.
Members of Congress, state governors, and utility companies have been briefed by Biden administration officials on the findings. These officials have also confirmed some conclusions about the operation in interviews with The New York Times.
The malware has been described as a “ticking time bomb” by one congressional official. Its potential to give China the power to disrupt American military deployments or resupply operations by severing access to power, water, and communication lines to U.S. military bases is a chilling prospect. Moreover, because this infrastructure also serves homes and businesses of ordinary Americans, the potential impact could be even more far-reaching.
This elusive code, which the U.S. government has been trying to locate and eliminate, is more pervasive both within the United States and at American facilities abroad than initially realized. However, officials admit they are yet to fully understand the extent of the code’s infiltration, primarily due to its sophisticated concealment.
In response to questions from The Times, the White House released a statement on Friday that refrained from directly mentioning China or the military bases.
“The Biden administration is working relentlessly to defend the United States from any disruptions to our critical infrastructure, including by coordinating interagency efforts to protect water systems, pipelines, rail and aviation systems, among others,” said Adam R. Hodge, the acting spokesman for the National Security Council.
China’s embassy in Washington issued a statement on Saturday, denying its involvement in hacking and accusing the United States of being a far greater offender.
“We have always firmly opposed and cracked down on all forms of cyberattacking in accordance with the law,” said Haoming Ouyang, an embassy spokesman.
“The Chinese government agencies face numerous cyberattacks every day, most of which come from sources in the U.S.,” he wrote, adding, “We hope relevant parties will stop smearing China with groundless accusations.”
The United States has previously blamed China for a number of significant hacks against U.S. agencies and infrastructure, and for conducting surveillance from a large balloon that traveled the United States in February until it was shot down off South Carolina.
China, on the other hand, has accused the United States of hacking into Huawei, its telecommunications giant. This allegation was confirmed by secret documents released by Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor currently in exile in Russia.
Earlier this year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a bill that moves towards being able to ban TikTok. The social media platform’s parent company, ByteDance, has ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Officials are now faced with the difficult decision of whether to leave the malware in place to learn more about it and possibly deceive the Chinese hackers into thinking their penetration has gone unnoticed, or to remove the code as quickly as possible due to its potential threat. Both options carry significant risks.
However, the proposition was promptly dismissed by senior White House officials. They argued that considering the potential risk, the most sensible course of action would be to immediately eliminate the harmful malware.
