DHS Declares War on China’s Cyber Threats: A Whole-of-Society Battle Plan Unveiled

Hot Take:

Who knew that the Department of Homeland Security moonlights as a scriptwriter for the next big geopolitical thriller? Move over, James Bond, there’s a new sheriff in town, and they’re armed with firewalls and cybersecurity protocols!

Key Points:

• DHS prioritizes combatting cyber threats from China through 2025.
• Focus on a “whole-of-society effort” to protect critical infrastructure.
• Other priorities include AI risks, supply chain vulnerabilities, climate change, and satellite dependency.
• FBI Director warns about Chinese hackers breaching US telecom, energy, and water sectors.
• Congress is increasingly hawkish on China, pushing for bans on tech and trade restrictions.

China’s Cyber Shenanigans

Combatting “cyber and other threats posed by the People’s Republic of China” (PRC) is the DHS’s top priority through the end of 2025. According to a guidance document released last Thursday, this isn’t just a one-man show; it’s a “whole-of-society effort” to protect critical infrastructure. Think of it as a cybersecurity Avengers assemble, but with more firewalls and fewer capes. And guess who’s the arch-nemesis? Yep, you guessed it—China.

AI, Supply Chains, and Climate Change, Oh My!

If you thought the DHS was just about stopping hackers, think again. They’ve got a whole laundry list of priorities, including managing the “evolving risks” of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Oh, and let’s not forget mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities and preparing for climate change-related risks to critical infrastructure. It’s like they’ve taken on every dystopian novel’s plotline and decided to tackle them all at once. And who says government work isn’t exciting?

From Water Systems to the Electric Grid

“From the banking system to the electric grid, from health care to our nation’s water systems and more, we depend on the reliable functioning of our critical infrastructure as a matter of national security, economic security, and public safety,” said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In other words, if it can be hacked, it’s on their radar. And let’s be real, with the way things are going, it’s probably already been hacked.

Cyber Ninjas Waiting to Strike

FBI Director Christopher Wray recently dropped a bombshell: hackers linked to the Chinese government have already accessed critical US infrastructure and are just biding their time for the perfect moment to unleash chaos. According to Wray, the cyber group Volt Typhoon has already breached several American companies in the telecom, energy, and water sectors. It’s like a cyber ticking time bomb, and the DHS is scrambling to defuse it.

The China Working Group: Not Your Average Office Club

The DHS established a China Working Group back in 2020 to tackle the “intensifying threat” of China’s “malign activity in the trade, cybersecurity, immigration, and intellectual property domains.” It’s not your typical office book club, that’s for sure. They’ve even published a “strategic action plan” focusing on everything from immigration violations to intellectual property rights violations. Talk about multitasking!

PRC Threats Sprint: Because Sometimes You Need to Run

Last year, Mayorkas announced a departmentwide 90-day “PRC Threats Sprint.” Unlike your average sprint, this one emphasized defending critical infrastructure against potential cyberattacks and using DHS’s immigration enforcement apparatus to identify “illicit travelers” from China. These aren’t your typical tourists; they’re here to “collect intelligence, steal intellectual property, and harass dissidents.” Someone call Tom Cruise; this sounds like a mission impossible.

Congress: No More Mr. Nice Guy

Congress has also become increasingly hawkish on China. Remember the 2013 hearing on the threats China, Russia, and Iran posed to US infrastructure? Well, that was just the beginning. Now, they’re even considering banning TikTok unless it divests from its Beijing-based parent company. And earlier this month, the House Committee on Homeland Security pushed a bill to block DHS from buying batteries from six Chinese companies. It’s like the legislative version of “Mean Girls,” but with more national security and less high school drama.