According to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, the U.S. Navy has been affected by the state-sponsored hack disclosed by Microsoft on Wednesday.

In an interview with CNBC’s Morgan Brennan on Thursday, Del Toro stated that it was not surprising that China had engaged in such cyberattacks, as they have been behaving in this manner for decades, not just in recent years.

While Del Toro did not provide specific details about the incident, he indicated that the Navy has been dealing with cyberattacks of this nature for a significant period, CNBC reported.

Microsoft, along with intelligence agencies including the National Security Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and agencies from four other nations, issued warnings on Wednesday.

These warnings alerted both corporate and public entities about a sophisticated Chinese state-backed hacking group that had successfully exploited a vulnerability in a widely used cybersecurity suite.

The vulnerability, exploited by a group known as “Volt Typhoon,” impacts critical cyber infrastructure in various industries, as stated by Microsoft.

The company revealed that the Chinese hackers had targeted the communications and maritime sectors in Guam, where a crucial U.S. military base is located.

According to Microsoft, the hacking group appeared to focus on surveillance rather than causing disruptions, CNBC reported.

However, top intelligence officials and researchers expressed concerns regarding the targeting of Guam, as they believe the island territory plays a crucial role in defending against a potential invasion of Taiwan by China, an invasion that has long been feared.

In response to the findings from Microsoft and the intelligence community, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and state-controlled press dismissed them as “disinformation.”

Written by staff