China’s Covert Cyber Campaigns Target U.S. Infrastructure.

Reports from U.S. intelligence agencies and top cybersecurity firms have revealed a surge in Chinese state-sponsored cyber operations targeting U.S. infrastructure. These covert campaigns—traced to the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)—include aggressive intrusions into U.S. telecommunications networks, energy grids, and even local government systems.

In 2023 alone, Chinese operations like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon were responsible for over 330 confirmed breaches, many leveraging zero-day exploits to silently embed malware in strategic communication hubs. These operations aim to gain long-term access to U.S. systems, enabling surveillance, sabotage, and manipulation of critical infrastructure.

The most concerning aspect of these breaches is the shift toward psychological and information warfare, where embedded agents use social media, telecom data, and online infrastructure to manipulate public sentiment, access intellectual property, and potentially disrupt military readiness.

This is just another day in the world we now live in—where the United States of America is trying to maintain its position as the dominant global superpower by intervening in almost every political and economic matter across the globe. At the same time, countries like China and Russia are playing the same power game—but on the virtual battlefield.

The only way to gain dominance today is by getting hands on your rival’s secrets: U.S. healthcare innovations, weapons R&D, intellectual property from Fortune 500 companies, sensitive university research, and—most dangerously—military war plans. Cyber espionage and information warfare are now strategic tools, not exceptions.

In my view, this is only the American side of the story. Anyone with real understanding of electronic warfare knows that all major superpowers—whether it’s the CIA, MSS, or the legacy of the KGB—have elite teams of state-backed hackers. These units conduct aggressive operations to give their governments a competitive edge in geopolitics and cyber dominance.

So when we talk about "accountability," it feels more like theater. How can one nation claim moral ground when it’s doing the same thing behind closed doors? This isn’t just about governments spying on each other—the real victims are everyday people. Citizens who find their personal data leaked, their devices compromised, or their public utilities disrupted are the ones paying the price.

In this environment, digital sovereignty doesn't truly exist. Every meaningful part of our lives—from banking and healthcare to communication and national defense—is now connected to the internet. And when a group of hackers sitting in a room halfway across the world can access your entire digital footprint, there is no real sovereignty.

It’s time for global institutions like the United Nations to recognize that this is our new normal. The international community needs updated doctrines and enforceable frameworks to govern this new era of cyber warfare. Because without them, the lines between peace and conflict, sovereignty and surveillance, will only continue to blur.