A senior FBI official is calling on U.S. officials to be on their guard ahead of the next election. They say Chinese hackers pose a growing threat and that U.S. officials could see more Chinese cyber activity against their states, as foreign actors search for political intel.
The remark comes from Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division. She noted that Chinese hackers scanned the computer infrastructure of both Republicans and Democrats, searching for vulnerabilities. It’s unclear if any data was compromised.
In addition to China, Kaiser said potential cyber attacks from Russia and Iran remain a significant concern.
Chinese hackers have been waging cyberattacks against the United States for over a decade. Among the information they lifted includes personal files on over 4 million U.S. government employees, clearance background information on over 20 million Americans, and most recently, at least $20 million of COVID-19 relief money.
Responding to Kaiser’s remark, the Chinese embassy in Washington said it does not encourage cyber attacks.