(NewsNation) — Chinese hackers are positioning themselves to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” to American citizens, FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify in front of lawmakers Wednesday.
Wray is expected to say that this threat doesn’t just affect the United States’ security and economy, according to remarks sent out by the FBI ahead of a congressional hearing.
“They target our freedoms, reaching inside our borders, across America, to silence, coerce, and threaten our citizens and residents,” Wray will say in front of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
To Wray, there has been “far too little” focus on the fact that Chinese hackers are targeting critical infrastructure, including water treatment plants; the electrical grid; oil and natural gas pipelines as well as U.S. transportation systems.
“The PRC’s cyber onslaught goes way beyond prepositioning for future conflict,” Wray will say. “Today, and literally every day, they’re actively attacking our economic security, engaging in wholesale theft of our innovation, and our personal and corporate data.”
Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, the chairman of the committee, is expected to address threats in cyberspace in his planned opening statements.
His prepared remarks say in part, “In the past few years, our intelligence and cybersecurity agencies have discovered that the CCP has hacked into American critical infrastructure for the sole purpose of disabling and destroying our critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict, likely over Taiwan. This is the cyberspace equivalent of placing bombs on American bridges, water treatment facilities and power plants.”
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.