2024-02-22 02:41:48
The Biden administration plans to invest heavily in domestic manufacturing of cargo cranes to allay concerns that the use of Chinese-made cranes equipped with advanced software at many U.S. ports poses a potential threat to national security.
The U.S. government on Wednesday took a series of actions aimed at improving maritime cybersecurity, including those mentioned above. The actions include the U.S. Coast Guard issuing a security directive mandating certain digital security requirements for foreign-made cranes currently deployed at strategic seaports, and President Joe Biden issuing an executive order setting baseline cybersecurity standards for computer networks operating U.S. ports .
Government officials have said more than $20 billion will be invested in port security over the next five years, including domestic production of cargo cranes. The funding, which comes from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021, will support the production of cranes by a U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsui, which officials say will be the first time in 30 years that cranes will be produced domestically in the United States.
“We think there’s a real strategic risk here,” said Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies. “These cranes, because they basically move large containers in and out,” she said. Out of the port, if it is encrypted in a criminal attack, or leased or operated by an adversary, this might have a real impact on our economy and our military’s ability to move cargo through the port.”
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that the suggestion that Chinese-made cranes pose a national security risk to the United States is pure fiction. The statement said that China firmly opposes the United States’ generalization of national security concepts and abuse of state power to obstruct normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States. Playing the “China card” and raising the “China threat theory” are irresponsible and will also harm the United States’ own interests.
The Biden administration’s actions follow a Wall Street Journal investigation last year that showed U.S. concerns that giant cranes made by a Chinese state-owned company and used at some U.S. ports might bring espionage and sabotage risk. Some of the port’s cranes used by the U.S. military are believed to be potentially used for surveillance. Officials are also concerned that the software on the cranes might be manipulated by the Chinese to impede U.S. shipping or even temporarily disrupt the cranes’ operations.
Rear Adm. John Vann, head of U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command, told a media briefing that the cranes may be intentionally designed to be remotely controlled, repairable and programmable. These characteristics might make Chinese-made cranes vulnerable to exploitation, he said.
The U.S. military has been concerned regarding these cranes for years and has tried to avoid ports with Chinese-made cranes, according to senior commanders who oversee U.S. military logistics operations.
Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, told the Wall Street Journal last year that Chinese personnel can track the origin, destination and other data of U.S. military container shipments to determine where the U.S. military is shipping the supplies.
“We want to go to berths that don’t have ZPMC cranes,” she said, referring to China-based manufacturer ZPMC. Given that many ports across the United States and around the world have these cranes, she said: “We try not to use these cranes intentionally, and when we talk to commercial suppliers, they know what that means.”
Senior U.S. officials such as Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray have increasingly warned that Chinese hackers’ penetration of critical U.S. infrastructure might pose a life-threatening threat to Americans. , in the event of a Taiwan conflict or other hot-spot issues, Chinese hackers may launch destructive cyber attacks.
These cranes produced by Zhenhua Heavy Industry are quite well-made and have an advantage in price, but they are equipped with advanced sensors that can record and track the origin and destination of containers. Officials say these cranes account for nearly 80% of the ship-to-shore cranes used in U.S. ports.
Some members of Congress who follow the issue closely said they welcomed the government’s moves.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said: “Communist China is not a friend of the United States and has consistently worked to undermine American interests and our security.” He said in a statement: “Our ports are critical hubs of economic activity. “Chinese cyberattacks might have cascading impacts on domestic and global supply chains.” Gimenez previously sponsored legislation aimed at addressing the security risks posed by these cranes.
Gimenez said he hopes the administration’s move will jump-start legislative initiatives he has introduced as chairman of the House Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee. The subcommittee said Wednesday it will hold a hearing on port cybersecurity next week that will hear testimony from U.S. officials. Gimenez said in an interview that breaking China’s “control” over crane manufacturing is crucial.
“We definitely have a problem and I’m glad the government is taking action on it,” he said.
So far, U.S. officials have not said whether China is using the cranes for nefarious activities. Vann said the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Protection Team has launched threat hunting operations on 92 of the more than 200 Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports. Officials would not say whether the search uncovered evidence of illegal or suspicious activity.
Officials acknowledged that replacing the Chinese-made cranes would be a slow project and would not disclose a timetable.
In the short term, the U.S. Coast Guard directive will impose cybersecurity requirements on Chinese crane owners and operators. Vann said the specific content of the directive is sensitive and cannot be made public. He said it will be the responsibility of the captain to ensure that crane operators comply with regulations.
“We need to address the current risks,” Newberg, the deputy national security adviser, said of the two-pronged approach. “Address the current issues now and ensure compliance in all new procurements,” she said. Ports will have the option to purchase cranes from trusted U.S. suppliers.”
Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank, said in congressional testimony last week that China’s military guidance prioritizes targeting “enemy force movement systems,” including ports and airports. He said that critical infrastructure in the United States often relies on hardware and software developed and maintained by Chinese companies, and these Chinese companies have a legal obligation to assist the Chinese government.
“Increasingly, the Chinese are not only seeking to gain access to our networks, they are also taking the initiative by disrupting and controlling them,” Singleton said in his testimony. “As a result, China might impede the mobilization of U.S. military forces, create chaos, and divert the nation’s attention and resources, both in war and non-war scenarios.”
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