U.S. warns China could hack infrastructure

STORY: A multi-nation alert issued Wednesday revealed the Chinese cyberespionage campaign had been aimed at military and government targets in the United States.

The Chinese government has rejected assertions that its spies are going after Western targets, calling the joint warning issued by the United States and its allies a "collective disinformation campaign."

"The US intelligence community assesses that China almost certainly is capable of launching cyberattacks that could disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States, including against oil and gas pipelines and rail systems," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press briefing.

"It's vital for government and network defenders in the public to stay vigilant."

The espionage group - dubbed "Volt Typhoon" by Microsoft - was the subject of an alert issued by cybersecurity and intelligence agencies in the United States, Britain and their close allies.

U.S. agencies have been pushing for improved cybersecurity practices in its majority-privately held critical infrastructure industry, after the 2021 hack of the key Colonial Pipeline disrupted nearly half of the U.S. East Coast’s fuel supply.