China’s Preparing For Major Cyberattacks on U.S. as Part of Taiwan Reunification
Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Chris Krebs said last week that China is preparing to conduct major cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure and industry as part of its offensive military plans to force reunification of Taiwan with mainland China. Krebs said China is currently laying the groundwork for its planned attacks and that “every single company out there should be conducting simulations, scenarios, impact assessments, tabletop exercises at the objective level around what’s happening in the Taiwan Straits.”
Analyst Comments: China has shifted gears from its former plans for a political solution to Taiwan’s reunification and is now focused on integrating military operations to achieve its objective. Chinese intelligence and security agencies have likely already mapped out cyberattack targets in the U.S. and are now solidifying their access to those networks and building countermeasures against U.S. post-attack mitigation efforts. The Chinese National Congress is in November. A window opens around then and increases every week afterwards. Expect China to incrementally increase gray zone activities and information operations as its military increases operations to isolate Taiwan from its western allies.
Solomon Islands Denies Entry to U.S. and U.K. Coast Guard Ships
The Solomon Islands, now under heavy Chinese influence, has denied entry into its waters to two U.S. and U.K. Coast Guard ships. Both ships are conducting patrols to assist partner nations in securing their sovereign waters from illegal fishing and smuggling activity. The Solomon Islands government recently banned foreign journalists who are not respectful of China. Also, a Reuters report out of Australia claimed the Solomon Islands Prime Minister’s office had twice distributed Chinese government money to 39 of 50 members of parliament, allegedly to influence pro-China policies.
Analyst Comments: The Solomon Islands signed a new security pact with China in April of this year.
by davefairtex 
