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50 Chinese Hackers for Each FBI Cyber Agent, Bureau Boss Says

 


According to the FBI's Christopher Wray, a senior official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Chinese hackers greatly outnumber American cyber intelligence agencies. A plea was made for more money to be given to the agency by him. 

It is evident from the disclosure that the U.S., in particular, faces several massive cyber threats. There has been a large attack on private and corporate information of the country, more than by any other major nation combined, and it has stolen more data than all of the nations regardless of size. According to Wray, the country has the largest hacking program on the planet. 

China is said to have a much larger hacking program than every other major nation combined. This is evidenced by the fact that more personal and corporate information has been stolen than in any other nation. The congress panel heard that the two countries had combined their efforts. 

However, Wray pointed out that countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea also pose significant cybersecurity concerns, including criminals from countries other than the United States. In the current investigation, the FBI is looking into a total of over 100 "ransomware variants" which have affected "scores of victims" globally. 

There are 192 additional positions to be added to the agency's cyber staff as the agency seeks $63 million in funding. It is also intended to make it easier for the FBI to place more cyber staff in field offices, thereby being close to the actual victims of cyber crimes rather than being in a central office.

In addition to the former, Iran and North Korea are also included in the latter. Wray explained that these nations' efforts are causing a wide gap between the security threat posed by nation-states and the threat posed by cybercriminals, where it is becoming more difficult to distinguish between the two. 

In addition to attacks that these groups have carried out, they have also been targeting "critical infrastructure and services in metropolitan areas that ordinary Americans depend on every day for their everyday lives, such as hospitals, schools, 911 call centers. "

It has been estimated that at least 30,000 US organizations, including government agencies and commercial companies, were hacked by Chinese threat actors on the Exchange Server software in 2021 in an attempt to gain access to their networks to send malicious emails. 

Several vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Exchange Server email software were exploited by a Chinese espionage group, KrebsOnSecurity reports.

Despite Microsoft reporting that the China-based threat actors were being exposed, it did not reveal the scale at which tens of thousands of organizations were affected, which allowed hackers to gain access to email accounts and install malware as a result of the vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities provided hackers with access to email accounts, as well as the ability to install malware.

In addition to that, the FBI will also be better able to defend itself with more cash. Over 15 million unauthorized connections are being blocked by the bureau each week, according to Commissioner Wray. 

In addition to Wray's remarks, he also added that the FBI has asked for more information-security resources to focus its efforts on online marketplaces for illegal drugs - another point of focus for the Bureau. 

There was also a question posed by a reporter about Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the FBI to conduct warrantless surveillance without being required to get a warrant. It is vital for the FBI's efforts to combat Chinese cyberattacks. It has proven to be an effective tool during their efforts to counter ransomware attacks and counterattack Chinese cyberattacks