Cynthia Kaiser, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, spoke at a National Association of Secretaries of State conference on Thursday, saying Chinese hackers are part of “a sea of things we’re concerned” about, CNN reported.
The FBI official warned U.S. states that Chinese hackers pose a “growing threat” and that their attempt to target political parties prior to the 2022 midterm election shows there will be “significant Chinese cyber activity… in the coming year,” the outlet reported.
Her statement follows rising tensions between the U.S. and the Chinese government after a suspected surveillance balloon from China was shot down by the U.S. military earlier this month.
In October, the FBI also warned that Chinese hackers were scanning the headquarters of state political parties for vulnerable systems they could potentially hack ahead of the midterms.
FBI officials, however, said at the time that none of the political parties had been hacked or breached.
Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
As generative artificial intelligence (AI) developments rapidly change the world of technology, some experts and lawmakers are urging Congress to get a jump on regulating the powerful tools. During a Thursday panel diving into this new innovation, Rep. Jacob Auchincloss (D-Mass.) told The Hill’s Rebecca Klar that he’s hoping Congress will be proactive about controlling the dangers of AI, especially the recently released tool …
Tesla is recalling as many as 362,758 vehicles over concerns that experimental self-driving software that it introduced could cause crashes. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said in a post on its website on Wednesday that the electric vehicle company is recalling certain Model S and Model X vehicles from 2016 to 2023, Model 3 vehicles from 2017 to 2023 and Model Y vehicles from 2020 to 2023 that …
The Justice and Commerce departments launched a strike force on Thursday to oppose the threats posed by technology from adversaries like Russia and China. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a release that the Disruptive Technology Strike Force will gather experts from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations from the Department of Homeland Security, and 14 U.S. attorneys’ offices from 12 metropolitan areas to go …
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki on Thursday announced she is stepping down from her role. She joined YouTube nine years ago after working at parent company Google since 1999, when she became the then-search startup’s 16th employee. “Today, after nearly 25 years here, I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate …
News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
Bing’s new chatbot causes a stir
A conversation with Microsoft’s new Bing chatbot left one journalist feeling unsettled, The New York Times reports.
Kentucky prayer ‘revival’ goes viral
A Christian service at a college chapel in Kentucky went viral on TikTok, attracting new visitors from thousands of miles away, NBC News reports.
On Our Radar
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
The National Association of State Election Directorswill hold its winter conference in Washington, D.C., now through Saturday.
The National Association of Secretaries of State is holding its winter conference in D.C.
In Other News
Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
Amid U.S. TikTok bans, a few balk at writing its name in law
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Banning TikTok from government devices enjoys bipartsan support across the U.S., but a few Democratic legislators in Kansas object to expanding one imposed by their party’s governor because they don’t want a state law to target a company by name. The Republican-controlled …
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University announced plans Thursday to use a $110 million donation from IT innovator and executive Ratmir Timashev’s family foundation to establish a software innovation center with the goal of becoming a new hub for new ideas, entrepreneurship and product development. …
Republican lawmakers are wary of their party’s propensity for self-inflicted wounds and are hoping for more discipline heading into the next … Read more
Democratic state lawmakers are mobilizing against a tidal wave of proposed legislation to heavily restrict access to gender-affirming health care, … Read more
What Others are Reading
Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill:
Beauty, lies & ChatGPT: Welcome to the post-truth world
