Organizations urged to protect networks from China-backed cyber threats

The National Security Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and FBI this week urged U.S. organizations to apply available patches, replace end-of-life infrastructure and implement a centralized patch management program to protect their networks from common cyber vulnerabilities that Chinese state-sponsored actors continue to exploit.

John Riggi, AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, said, “This joint agency advisory is an excellent summary of the government's declassified information on how the Chinese government conducts cyber espionage campaigns and which information technology vulnerabilities it most commonly exploits to penetrate computer networks. Note that the tactics include disguising and routing malicious traffic through non-Chinese infrastructure so as to avoid suspicion, and that the Chinese government continues to exploit home routers, which is of significant concern in this era of the remote work environment. Remote access to sensitive patient data and medical research by off-site staff and third parties should be strictly limited and closely monitored. According to previous U.S. government alerts, the Chinese intelligence services continue their aggressive pursuit of U.S. genetic data and medical research, including that related to precision medicine and infectious diseases. Patching of the identified vulnerabilities related to Chinese espionage campaigns should be implemented as soon as possible."

For more information on this and other cyber risks, contact Riggi at jriggi@aha.org.