The warnings of possible espionage by Chinese telecom company ZTE are just one example of intelligence experts’ concerns about foreign actors seeking to weaken U.S. security through the electronic goods and services it buys.
William Evanina, who leads the National Counterintelligence and Security Center under the Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that “a growing set of threat actors are now capable of using cyber operations to remotely access traditional intelligence targets, as well as a broader set of U.S. targets including critical infrastructure and supply chain, often without attribution.”
Joyce Corell, assistant director for supply chain at NCSC, says that one reason such attacks will grow more common is the government’s renewed emphasis on more obvious forms of cybersecurity, such as protection against remote penetration attacks and phishing attacks.