China Denies Allegations by Five Eyes Countries of Cyber Attacks Targeting US Critical Infrastructure

China fires back at Australia and other Five Eyes countries for accusing them of cyber attacks on important infrastructure in the United States. 

Microsoft said the Chinese hacking group, Volt Typhoon, has been active since at least 2021. 

Microsoft claims Volt Typhoon has targeted several industries including communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education.

A joint Cybersecurity Advisory was issued by US, Australian, New Zealand, Canada and United Kingdom intelligence agencies after detecting a "cluster of activity of interest" linked to China's state-sponsored hacking group Volt Typhoon.

Microsoft said Volt Typhoon's activity had used compromised credentials to access critical infrastructure organisations, and that the group's typical aim was espionage and information gathering.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: 

"Obviously, this is a collective disinformation campaign by the United States to mobilise the Five Eyes countries for geopolitical purposes… As we all know, the Five Eyes is the world's largest intelligence organisation and the NSA is the world's largest hacker organisation, and it is ironic that they have joined forces to issue disinformation reports."

The hackers use a sneaky "living off the land" attack to blend in with normal Microsoft system and network activity. 

China previously accused the NSA of being responsible for a similar cyber attack. 

- CyberBeat