Federal Drive

Reliance on Chinese tech firms leaves U.S. infrastructure vulnerable

A new federally-sponsored report warned that a risk of catastrophic failure of critical infrastructure existed in the U.S. because of the government\'s heavy re...

Federal News Network Staff

March 9, 2012 8:54 am

< a min read

A new federally-sponsored report warned that a risk of catastrophic failure of critical infrastructure existed in the U.S. because of the government’s heavy reliance on Chinese technology firms.

The analysis from the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission said the U.S. military’s close ties to Chinese companies was creating a path for state-sponsored penetrations of supply networks both the government and private industry rely on, and Chinese cyber capabilities would be a genuine threat to U.S. military operations in the event of a conflict.

Commissioners said Chinese cyber activities pose a “clear and present danger” to the U.S., and China’s leaders can no longer claim ignorance about cyber espionage conducted from chinese computers.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.