An investigation has uncovered suspicious communications equipment in Chinese-made cargo cranes commonly used at US ports, supporting fears that the equipment could be part of an espionage plot.
Cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a Chinese state-owned company, are in some cases equipped with cellular modems, according to a Congressional investigation reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
The modems provide a potential backdoor for remote access and do not appear to support normal operation of the equipment, the study found.
The discovery of the modems, which had not previously been made public, underpins growing fears in U.S. intelligence circles that Chinese cranes could be used to covertly monitor U.S. ports, or even sabotage their operations.
Chinese companies make nearly 80 percent of the cranes used in U.S. ports, after years of price undercutting from domestic suppliers.
Cranes are seen at a port in New Jersey. An investigation has uncovered suspicious communications equipment in Chinese-made cargo cranes commonly used at U.S. ports
Chinese companies make nearly 80 percent of the cranes used in U.S. ports, after years of price undercutting from domestic suppliers. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is seen above
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, 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 America.
“The United States has clearly overlooked this threat for far too long,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in DC said any concerns about Chinese cranes are “complete paranoia” and amount to “an abuse of national power to hinder 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 America amid spying concerns.
Biden’s executive order gives the U.S. Coast Guard new powers to issue basic cybersecurity requirements for carriers and ports, amid fears that Chinese hackers will target U.S. infrastructure during a possible invasion of Taiwan.
A particular area of focus is ship-to-shore cranes, which move cargo containers from ships.
“We felt like there was a real strategic risk here,” said Anne Neuberger, U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology.
“These cranes, because they essentially move the large-scale containers in and out of the port, if in the event of a criminal attack they were encrypted, or rented or operated by an adversary, they could have a real impact on the movement of goods in our economy and our economy. military goods movements through ports.’
Of the 200 Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports, Coast Guard cyber experts have conducted security assessments and found malicious cyber activity in 92, or less than half.
Biden is investing heavily in building American-built cranes over the next five years, pulling money from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to fund them.
The cranes will be built by an American subsidiary of Mitsui, a Japanese company, to produce the cranes. Officials said this would be the first time in 30 years that they would be built domestically.
Last month, President Joe Biden’s administration announced a $20 billion investment to build more ship-to-shore cranes in America amid spying concerns (file photo)
“By design, these cranes can be controlled, maintained and programmed from remote locations,” Adm. John Vann, who heads the Coast Guard’s cyber command, said at a news conference.
“These characteristics may make PRC-manufactured cranes vulnerable to exploitation,” he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Vann said these types of potential attacks were a concern as officials pushed for new standards, but they also worry about the possibility of criminal activity.
Nationally, ports employ approximately 31 million people and contribute $5.4 trillion to the economy.
“America’s system of ports and waterways is responsible for more than $5.4 trillion of our nation’s annual economic activity, and our ports serve as a gateway for more than 90 percent of all overseas trade,” Vann noted.
Several top 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, who aim to cripple the United States’ power grid, oil pipelines and water systems lay. the case of an armed conflict