Washington, a number of its Western allies and Microsoft have announced that a Beijing-backed "cyber actor" has infiltrated critical infrastructure networks in the United States, warning that similar attacks could occur around the world.
Cybersecurity authorities in the United States and other Western countries said in a joint warning they had detected a "range of activities" linked to "a cyber actor sponsored by the People's Republic of China, also known as Volt Typhoon", AFP reported.
The joint warning added that "this activity affects the networks of critical U.S. infrastructure sectors" and the attacker "could apply the same tactics around the world."
In turn, Microsoft said in a separate statement that the "Volt Typhoon" has been active since mid-2021 and has targeted a number of critical infrastructure, including especially critical infrastructure on the US island of Guam, where the United States has a major military base in the Pacific Ocean.
Microsoft warned in its statement that the attack threatened to cause "disruptions to critical communications infrastructures between the United States and the Asian region in future crises."
"The observed behavior indicates that the actor intends to spy and maintain for as long as possible their ability to access (infrastructure) without detection," the U.S. technology group said.