Cyber threats posed by malignant nation-states and criminals remain high during the government shutdown, a new report said.
The Cyber Threat Snapshot from the House Committee on Homeland Security found that the government shutdown, along with the lapse in Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, is constraining the federal government’s ability to coordinate with industry and execute its mission. The gap comes at a time when cyber actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China are expanding their targeting of U.S. networks, the report said.
“Amid a heightened threat landscape, we must take a whole-of-society approach to countering escalating cyber threats from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party, Iran, Russia, North Korea, and others,” U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), chairman of the committee, said. “As the shutdown continues and a gap remains in our cyber information sharing authorities, a decrease in the visibility of cyber threats across public and private sectors could create blind spots in our networks. Senate Democrats must reopen the government so we can chart a better path forward for our nation’s collective cyber resilience.”
Officials said the PRC’s cyber espionage efforts rose 150 percent in 2024, and its targeted attack on the financial services, media, manufacturing and the industrial sectors rose nearly 300 percent. The most unprecedented of the attacks, Salt Typhoon, compromised at least nine major telecommunications providers. Salt Typhoon targeted 80 countries and potentially tried to gain access to data from nearly every American.
Cyber threats from Iranian-affiliated cyberattacks spiked to 133 percent in May and June, amid U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Other hackers from Russia and North Korea have also breached federal and local resources.