- China claims that US intelligence agencies had long deployed “cyber warfare forces” for reconnaissance and network penetration.
China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre has vehemently rejected claims made by US entities and Microsoft Corporation, asserting that accusations of Chinese hackers orchestrating a high-profile attack on American computer networks are baseless and politically motivated.
Tensions regarding cybersecurity between China and the United States have intensified, particularly surrounding the allegations concerning the Volt Typhoon incident.
Labeling the discussion a “political farce” crafted by Washington, the agency referenced a coalition of over fifty global cybersecurity experts who purportedly agree that evidence linking the Volt Typhoon incident to Beijing is lacking.
The claims surrounding Volt Typhoon first emerged in 2023, when Microsoft identified a group of state-sponsored hackers allegedly embedded in US industrial networks for an extended period.
Despite these serious allegations, China has consistently maintained its denial and dismissed such assertions as politically charged rhetoric.
Marble tool
The latest report marks the third instance this year in which Chinese authorities have addressed the Volt Typhoon claims, suggesting that US intelligence agencies have engaged in “cyber warfare” tactics aimed at espionage and network infiltration.
Furthermore, the Chinese report introduces the notion of a tool named Marble, alleged to be employed by US cyber operatives to obscure the origins of their hacking activities.
Through this tool, it is claimed, developers’ affiliations can be obscured, and misleading elements can be introduced into coding to frame other nations, particularly China and Russia.
The assertion paints a picture of a fractured cybersecurity landscape, wherein both nations accuse one another of clandestine operations while providing limited transparency or proof to substantiate their claims.
China’s rebuttals are not without a counter-narrative, as they have pointed to instances of American cyber efforts targeting systems in nearly fifty countries.
The Ministry of State Security in China has also articulated concerns regarding foreign entities illicitly extracting sensitive data from within the nation.
The ongoing back-and-forth highlights not only the intricacies of international cybersecurity but also the profound geopolitical implications of such conflicts.