US officials have warned that Chinese-made drones continue to pose serious risks to infrastructure and national security./Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Sunday, 01.21.2024 posted at 5:30 PM JST
WASHINGTON (CNN) By the 21st, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other authorities said Chinese-made drones continue to pose a serious risk to essential infrastructure and national security of the United States. A new document has been published warning companies using drones to be cautious.
Since 2021, Chinese hacker groups have been actively launching attacks against US critical infrastructure, and the US government is working hard to put together defensive measures. The targets of these attacks include the maritime, transportation, communications, utilities and government sectors.
A senior official from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, involved in the preparation of the document, said in a statement that US critical infrastructure, including energy, chemicals and telecommunications, are using drones for various operations to save business costs and points out that people are increasingly relying on them.
He also warned that the use of Chinese-made drones poses the risk of sensitive information leaking, which could compromise the national security, economic security, public health and safety of the United States.
The document refers to several laws introduced by the Chinese government since 2015. It also explained that these laws require Chinese companies, including domestic drone manufacturers, to provide the government with data obtained domestically and around the world.
The Data Security Act of 2021 expands the Chinese government’s access rights, strengthens the government’s authority to monitor domestic companies and data, and imposes harsh sanctions on China-based companies if they don’t comply.
He also stressed that the data collected by these companies is essential to promoting China’s “military-civilian fusion” strategy. The strategy aims to build a strategic advantage over the United States by promoting the acquisition of advanced technology.
The US Department of Homeland Security has long warned of the risks posed by Chinese-made drones, which dominate the international commercial market. In 2019, he warned that these drones could send sensitive flight data to Chinese manufacturers. CNN also reported that this flight data may be in the hands of the Chinese government.
In 2017, the US military announced a ban on the use of products from Chinese drone company DJI. The reason was that the company was suspected of sharing critical infrastructure and law enforcement data with the Chinese government. The company’s products are the most commonly used drones in the United States and Canada.
DJI denied these allegations at the time. “Ensuring safety is at the heart of everything we do,” she said. “The security of our technology has been independently verified by the US government and other organizations,” she continued.
2024-01-21 08:30:00
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