>>> SECRETARY OF STATE TONY>>> SECRETARY OF STATE TONYBLINKEN HAS BEEN ABLE TO WINCHINA'S AGREEMENT TO COME TOBEIJING THIS WEEKEND, AFTER THEU.S. CANCELED THAT ORIGINAL TRIPOVER THE CHINESE SPY BALLOONINCIDENT.HE WILL BE THE FIRST SECRETARYOF STATE TO VISIT CHINA SINCE2018.THE FIRST CABINET SECRETARYSINCE 2019.IT WILL BE A CRITICAL EFFORT TOREOPEN COMMUNICATIONS CHINA HASBROKEN OFF, ESPECIALLY MILITARYTO MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS.SINCE THEN SPEAKER NANCY PELOSIWENT TO TAIWAN LAST AUGUST.THE MANY TOPICS AT ISSUE BETWEENTHE TWO COUNTRIES WILL BECHINA'S ACTIVE PROGRAM OFCYBERATTACKS AGAINST THE U.S.JOINING ME NOW IS THE DIRECTOROF THE CYBERSECURITY ANDINFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AGENCY.THERE'S A NEW REPORT THATSEVERAL U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAGENCIES HAVE BEEN HIT IN AMAJOR CYBERATTACK.WHAT DO WE KNOW?>> YEAH.IT'S A SOFTWARE THAT FEDERALAGENCIES AND COMPANIES ACROSSTHE WORLD USE.WE PUT OUT AN ADVISORY ABOUTTHIS LAST WEEK.WE ARE RESPONDING TO IT.THESE VULNERABILITIES ARE COMMONIN SOFTWARE.OUR JOB IS TO WORK WITHBUSINESSES TO ENSURE THEY HAVETHE RESOURCES AND TOOLS TOMITIGATE THAT RISK.>> HOW WIDESPREAD IS IT?WHAT KIND OF BUSINESSES DO THEYGO AFTER, CERTAIN INDUSTRIES?>> RIGHT NOW, WE ARE FOCUSEDSPECIFICALLY ON THE FEDERALAGENCIES THAT MAY BE IMPACTED.WE'RE WORKING HAND IN HAND WITHTHEM TO MITIGATE THE RISK.WE UNDERSTAND THERE AREBUSINESSES THOUGH AROUND THEWORLD.IT'S ANOTHER RANSOMWARE ACTOR.THEY ARE TAKING DATA AND LOOKINGTHEY ARE TAKING DATA AND LOOKINGTO EXTORT IT.>> COULD IT HAVE BEEN ORANGENATURE --ORINNATE-- COULD IT BE RUSSIAN ACTION?>> WE ARE TRACKING IT AS AWELL-KNOWN RANSOMWARE GROUP.>> HOW WIDESPREAD IS IT?>> WE ARE WORKING WITH SEVERALFEDERAL AGENCIES TO UNDERSTANDTHAT.WE ARE WORKING TO GET THATVISIBILITY AND MAKE SURE THAT WEARE ABLE TO PUT MEASURES INPLACE TO MITIGATE ANY SORT OFIMPACT.WE ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH THEDETAILS OF THAT RIGHT NOW.>> WE DON'T FULLY HAVE THEDEFENSES IN PLACE YET?IS THAT A FAIR INTERPRETATION?>> WE DON'T HAVE A FULLUNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE IMPACTIMPACTS ARE OR WHETHER THERE AREIMPACTS.WE ARE WORKING THROUGH ITAGGRESSIVELY.THE SITUATION, AS YOU REMEMBERSOLARWINS SSOLARWINDS IN THE END OF 2020,HAS CHANGED IN OUR ABILITY TOHAVE VISIBILITY AND THOSERELATIONSHIPS AND THATCOLLABORATION TO DEFEND THECIVILIAN.GOV.I'M CONFIDENT IN MY TEAM THATARE WORKING THIS.>> I KNOW YOU HAVE WORKED VERYHARD, AS HAVE OTHERS, TO TRY TOGET THE VIEPRIVATE SECTOR TO DOMORE.WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUTINFRASTRUCTURE, ABOUT UTILITIES.HOW ARE YOU DOING IN TERMS OFGETTING PRIVATE SECTORCOOPERATION?>> I HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLYENCOURAGED BY THE COLLABORATIONTHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE PASTCOUPLE YEARS WITH THE PRIVATESECTOR.WE STOOD UP A PLATFORM CALLEDTHE JOINT CYBER DEFENSECOLLABORATIVE WHERE WE WORK WITHALL MANNER OF CRITICALINFRASTRUCTURE, FINANCE, ENERGY,WATER, HOSPITALS, EDUCATION,TECHNOLOGY TO SHARE INFORMATIONSO THAT WE CAN DRIVE DOWN RISKFOR THE NATION.A GREAT EXAMPLE WAS OUR SHIELDSUP CAMPAIGN.THAT WAS AROUND THE RUSSIANINVASION OF UKRAINE.WE TALKED ABOUT THE THREAT ANDPROVIDED MITIGATION MEASURES SOWE COULD PREVENT ANY SIGNIFICANTATTACKS TO THE NATION'S CRITICALINFRASTRUCTURE.>> I'VE BEEN TOLD BY OTHEROFFICIALS IN THE ADMINISTRATIONTHAT ONE OF THE REAL CONCERNS ISNOT SO MUCH NUCLEAR POWER ANDSOME OF THE THINGS WE WOULDTRADITIONAL THINK WEREVULNERABLE, BUT WATER SYSTEMS.>> IT IS A REAL CONCERN.WE HAVE MADE WATER FACILITIESAND UTILITIES A MAJOR PRIORITYFOR THIS.THERE'S OVER 150,000 OF THESEFACILITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.THESE ARE WHAT WE CALL TARGETRICH.THEY CAN BE TARGETED BY THREATACTORS.BUT THEN CYBER POOR.THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TOBE ABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.WHAT WE ARE DOING, WE AREWORKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.THERE ARE SECURITY ADVISORS INEVERY STATE TO HELP THEMUNDERSTAND THE MEASURES THATTHEY NEED TO TAKE TO REDUCERISK.WE ARE DOING THIS HAND IN HANDWITH THE EPA AND ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTION AGENCY SO THAT WE CANPUT THOSE MEASURES IN PLACE TOENSURE AMERICANS CAN GET SAFEAND SECURE WATER.>> YOU HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEARTHAT YOU -- YOU WARNED ABOUTCYBER HACKING AND WIDESPREADESPIONAGE CAMPAIGNS FROM CHINA.TALK ABOUT CHINA AND ITS ROLE INTHIS.>> WE ARE VERY CONCERNED NOTJUST FRANKLY ABOUT DATA THEFTAND ESPIONAGE, BUT THE ABILITYFOR CHINA TO HOLD THE CRITICALINFRASTRUCTURE THAT AMERICANSRELY ON EVERY DAY AT RISK.SO IT'S GREAT THAT WE ARE SEEINGTHE SECRETARY OF STATE GO THEREAND HAVE AN OPEN AND FRANKDISCUSSION ABOUT THESE ISSUES,BECAUSE WE JUST PUBLISHED AREPORT THREE WEEKS AGO WITH OURFEDERAL PARTNERS ANDINTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ARECHINESE INTRUSIONS INTO OURCRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.THIS, OF COURSE, IS VERYCONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE HAVEHEARD FROM THE INTELLIGENCECOMMUNITY.I THINK EVERY AMERICAN SHOULDREAD THE ANNUAL THREATASSESSMENT THAT TALKS ABOUTAGGRESSIVE CYBER OPERATIONSAGAINST OUR CRITICALINFRASTRUCTURE.BECAUSE WE NEED TO UNDERSTANDTHE THREAT, HOW FORMIDABLE THISADVERSARY IS.IT'S VERY, VERY HARD TO PREVENTTHESE DISRUPTIONS.WE NEED TO BE RESILIENT, BEPREPARED TO DEAL WITH IT ANDENSURE THAT EVERY BUSINESS PUTSTHE MEASURES IN PLACE SO WE CANOPERATE EVEN IN THE FACE OFDISRUPTION.>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THEVULNERABILITIES, WHICH SECTORSIN TERMS OF CRITICALINFRASTRUCTURE TO CHINESEATTACKS?>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE ANNUALTHREAT ASSESSMENT, AS IMENTIONED, IT SPECIFICALLY TALKSTHAT CHINESE CYBER THREAT ACTORSARE CAPABLE OF DISRUPTINGCRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE OILAND GAS PIPELINES.YOU REMEMBER COLONIAL IN THESUMMER OF 2021.AND TRANSPORTATION AND RAIL.THE IDEA WOULD BE IN THE EVENTOF A CONFLICT, CHINA WOULD USEAGGRESSIVE CYBER OPERATIONS TODELAY MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, TOAFFECT MILITARY DECISIONS, ANDTO INDUCE SOCIETAL PANIC.VERY CONCERNED ABOUT ENSURING WECAN CONTINUE TO HAVE SAFE ANDSECURE WATER, THAT WE CANDISPATCH FIRST RESPONDERS, THATWE CAN GET GAS TO THE PUMP, THATWE CAN GET HEALTH CARE TOPATIENTS.SO WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURETHAT BUSINESSES TAKE THE STEPSTHEY NEED TO TAKE TO DRIVE DOWNRISK AND TO BUILD RESILIENCE.>> IN TERMS OF THE BREAKING NEWSTHAT WE WERE TALKING TO YOUABOUT WITH THIS NEW MALWARE THATWE ARE SEEING, WHICH AGENCIES?YOU MENTIONED FEDERAL AGENCIES.COULD YOU BE SPECIFIC?>> WE HAVE NOT PUT THAT OUT YET.WE WANT TO WORK WITH OURPARTNERS TO MAKE SURE WE FULLYUNDERSTAND THE SITUATION.I AM CONFIDENT THOUGH THAT GIVENALL OF THE ADVANCES THAT WE HAVEMADE WITH OUR PARTNERS, THAT WEARE ABLE TO DRIVE DOWN THAT RISK
