China claims Volt Typhoon cybercrime group is a CIA asset invented to discredit it
By isabelle // 2024-10-23
 
The cybercrime organization Volt Typhoon has made some headlines for its attacks in recent years, and it is often reported that American authorities are pursuing them. However, China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) claims that Volt Typhoon was actually created by the U.S. and its NATO allies in an attempt to destroy its reputation, and they have just released the third part of an ongoing series that they believe supports their claims. They accused the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, along with numerous intelligence agencies, of engaging in cyber espionage against China and other nations, including Japan, Germany and France, along with internet users around the world. They went on to accuse the U.S. of launching false flag operations aimed at covering up its cyber attacks. China says America is doing all this to create the illusion of a “so-called danger of Chinese cyber attacks.” The FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the NSA have all blamed the Volt Typhoon group for attacking critical American infrastructure. CVERC released the third part of its series in the form of a document in multiple languages entitled “Lie to Me: Volt Typhoon III – Unravelling Cyberespionage and Disinformation Operations Conducted by US Government Agencies.” It outlines its claims, building on previous reports about how American authorities are carrying out “warrantless snooping powers on all people over the world, including Americans via FISA Section 702, so that the U.S. government agencies could eliminate the foreign competitors and defend the cyber hegemony and long-term interests of monopolies.” According to the report, China worked with dozens of cybersecurity experts to reach the conclusion that the U.S. and Microsoft cannot prove that China was involved in Volt Typhoon; the report does not name the experts they consulted. The report also points to programs such as PRISM data collection and the NSA’s Office of Tailored Access Operation, both of which were exposed by Edward Snowden and share similar abilities to those of Volt Typhoon. It also rehashes much of the material listed in the first two parts of their series, including known U.S. programs such as Section 702 warrantless surveillance of foreigners and the Marble framework that the CIA uses for cyber ops that was previously uncovered by Wikileaks.

Volt Typhoon malware has infiltrated critical American infrastructure

Volt Typhoon malware has been used to infiltrate critical American systems and infrastructure, putting Americans’ physical safety in danger by targeting energy, airline and port traffic control, rail, and water systems. Leaked documents that emerged earlier this year also implicated the CCP in a complex overseas cyber espionage campaign that prompted a number of warnings from cybersecurity experts. The goal of the program is to destabilize enemies and put China in a better position to prepare for any potential war against the U.S. and its allies. The documents showed that a Chinese group known as I-Soon infiltrated government departments in South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, India and NATO-affiliated organizations. Through Volt Typhoon, the CCP seeks to secure a military advantage for itself over the U.S. via non-military means. Risk advisory firm BlackOps Partners CEO Casey Fleming told The Epoch Times: "The CCP is hyper-focused on weakening the U.S. from all angles to win the war without fighting. This is what World War III looks like. It’s the speed of technology, the stealth of unrestricted warfare, and no rules." Sources for this article include: GreatGameIndia.com TechRadar.com