What it will look like if China launches cyberattacks in the U.S.
POLITICOApr 16, 2023
The Facts
A Wall Street Journal report alleges that Beijing-linked hackers have accessed the email account of the US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, as part of a cyber campaign revealed last week that compromised hundreds of thousands of US government emails.
CNN reports that the hackers also got access to the accounts of the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo; however, the details and scope of the cyberattacks remain under investigation.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
China is the most pernicious cyber threat the world faces, and these massive breaches haven't even reached a tenth of what they may be capable of. US cyberinfrastructure, publicly and privately, is woefully unprepared for a full-blown cyberwar with China, as their hackers could potentially penetrate every aspect of American life. The US needs to get smart on cybersecurity to defend itself against a growing and aggressive threat.
Pro-China narrative
It's the specialty of the US to accuse others of what they are most guilty of. Based on unconfirmed media reports, the US government is trying to stoke animosity towards China with these new cyberattack charges. It's the US, not China, that is the most vicious and unrelenting cybercriminal on the world stage. The US is not only responsible for countless attacks on China and other countries, but America's intelligence apparatus has used every tool at its disposal to topple foreign governments. The global community must stand together against America's dangerous and hypocritical cyber policy.