An investigation has revealed suspicious communication devices inside Chinese-made cargo cranes that are widely used in US ports, supporting fears that the equipment could be part of a spy plot.
Cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a Chinese state-owned company, in some cases carry cellular modems, according to a congressional investigation reported by the Wall Street Journal Thursday.
The investigation found that the modems offer a possible backdoor for remote access and do not appear to support normal computer operations.
The discovery of the previously undisclosed modems supports growing fears in American intelligence circles that Chinese cranes could be used to covertly monitor American ports, or even sabotage their operations.
Chinese companies make nearly 80 percent of the cranes used in U.S. ports, after years of undercutting prices from domestic suppliers.
Cranes are seen at a port in New Jersey. An investigation has revealed suspicious communication devices inside Chinese-made cargo cranes widely used in US ports.
Chinese companies make nearly 80 percent of the cranes used in U.S. ports, after years of undercutting prices from domestic suppliers. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is seen above
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican, told the Journal that the Chinese government “is seeking every opportunity to gather valuable intelligence and position itself to exploit vulnerabilities by systematically digging into critical infrastructure.” of the United States”.
“The United States has clearly overlooked this threat for too long,” he added.
A spokesperson for China’s embassy in DC said any fear about Chinese cranes is “completely paranoid” and amounts to “abusing national power to obstruct normal economic and trade cooperation.”
Last month, President Joe Biden’s administration announced a $20 billion investment to build more ship-to-shore cranes in the United States over spy concerns.
Biden’s executive order gives the US Coast Guard new powers to issue basic cybersecurity requirements for shipping vessels and ports amid fears that Chinese hackers will target US infrastructure during a possible invasion of Taiwan .
A particular area of focus is ship-to-shore cranes, which remove cargo containers from ships.
“We felt there was a real strategic risk here,” said Anne Neuberger, deputy US national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies.
“These cranes, because they basically move large-scale containers in and out of the port, if they were encrypted in a criminal attack, or rented or operated by an adversary, they could have a real impact on the movement of goods in our economy and in ours the military movement of goods through ports.
Of the 200 Chinese-made cranes in U.S. ports, Coast Guard cyber experts have conducted security assessments and searched for malicious cyber activity on 92, or less than half, of them.
Biden is investing heavily to get American-made cranes built over the next five years, taking money from the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill to fund them.
The cranes will be built by a U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui, a Japanese company, which officials said would be the first time in 30 years they would be built in the country.
Last month, President Joe Biden’s administration announced a $20 billion investment to build more ship-to-shore cranes in the United States over espionage concerns (file photo)
“By design, these cranes can be controlled, maintained and programmed from remote locations,” Rear Adm. John Vann, who heads the Coast Guard’s Cyber Command, said during a news briefing.
“These characteristics potentially make cranes manufactured in the People’s Republic of China vulnerable to exploitation,” he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Vann said this type of potential attack was a concern as officials pushed for new standards, but they are also concerned about the possibility of criminal activity.
Nationwide, ports employ approximately 31 million people and contribute $5.4 trillion to the economy.
“America’s system of ports and waterways accounts for more than $5.4 trillion of our nation’s annual economic activity, and our ports serve as gateways for more than 90 percent of all foreign trade,” Vann pointed out.
Several high-ranking US officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, have warned of the threats posed by the infiltration of the country’s critical infrastructure by Chinese hackers, whose goal would be to bring down the power grid, oil pipelines and transportation systems. water from the United States in the event of an armed conflict