Cell phone outages will be ‘100 times worse’ if China invades Taiwan, top Intel Republican Marco Rubio warns as FBI investigates where massive AT&T outage was a hack

AT&T’s disastrous cell phone outage was just a fraction of what “will” happen in the US if China invades Taiwan, a US senator has warned.

About 74,000 users on the AT&T network were unable to make calls Thursday, while thousands more on other networks remained without service, according to DownDetector. Thousands more at other networks were left without service.

“I don’t know the cause of the AT&T outage,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

“But I do know that it will be a hundred times worse if China launches a cyber attack on America on the eve of an invasion of Taiwan. And it won’t just be the cell phone they hit, it’ll be your power, your water and your bank too,” he continued.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are currently investigating the outages as a possible cyber attack. The downed cell service prevented some from calling 911 for emergencies.

Florida Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez echoed Rubio’s sentiment. He posted on X: “Agreed, Senator @marcorubio! Communist #China will continue to work overtime to undermine America and the free world.”

China recognizes Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the country under Beijing’s control.

Although the United States does not formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s most important ally and supplier of military equipment – a thorn in the side of ties between Washington and Beijing.

The US State Department this week authorized the sale of an advanced tactical data link system worth $75 million to Taiwan.

According to DownDetector, the number of reported outages rose to more than 70,000 just after 7 a.m. on Thursday

Service disruptions have been reported across the country, with the outage first occurring around 4 a.m. eastern time

Days ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that China’s ability to conduct cyberattacks has grown to a “scale greater than anything we’ve seen before.”

While the Munich Security Conference focused largely on the wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, Wray warned politicians and intelligence officials not to lose sight of a more subtle threat: Beijing’s goals to introduce malware into the country’s critical infrastructure place in the US.

Wray cited Volt Typhoon, the nickname given to the Chinese hacking network that infiltrated the US last year, but said this is just the “tip of the iceberg.”

Under ‘Volt Typhoon’, Beijing’s military has dug into more than 20 major suppliers in the past year alone, including a water company in Hawaii, a major port on the west coast and at least one oil and gas pipeline, analysts revealed weeks ago.

They have bypassed complex cybersecurity systems by intercepting passwords and logins not monitored by junior employees, leaving China “sitting on a stockpile of strategic” vulnerabilities.

“It is very clear that Chinese efforts to compromise critical infrastructure are partly to prepare itself to disrupt or destroy that critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict,” said Brandon Wales of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure. Security agency.

The US faces growing concerns about cyber and satellite attacks from Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right

In August, the hackers were spotted trying to penetrate systems operated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas that supply power to the state.

But Hawaii is seen as the biggest target given the crucial role it would play for the US if a conflict broke out over Taiwan.

In May, Microsoft exposed Chinese attempts to infiltrate dozens of industries in Guam, the U.S. territory closest to Taiwan.

Communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education organizations were targeted by Volt Typhoon.

It also comes after House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner last week demanded President Biden release information related to an urgent national security threat that later emerged as related to Russia’s anti-satellite capabilities.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin taunted the West on Thursday with a joyride in a modernized supersonic strategic nuclear bomber Tu-160M.

The Biden administration is considering more sanctions against Russia following the death of Putin dissident Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison.

Since that happened last week, Russia has taken into custody an American ballerina and charged her with treason for donating $51 to a Ukrainian cause and the mysterious death of a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine and was living in Spain.