America in Danger: China Launches Most Devastating Cyberattack

China secretly launched the most devastating cyberattack on technology companies throughout the past year, according to a report by US-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike published on Tuesday (9/6) local time. The report comes as industrial investment in artificial intelligence (AI) systems continues to soar, with established technology industries largely concentrated in the US, specifically in Silicon Valley. This hacking campaign aligns with the priority strategies of the Chinese government, which under President Xi Jinping has a sustained interest in technology development, intellectual property, and information with strategic and economic value, CrowdStrike stated. According to the CrowdStrike report, the technology sector is once again the industry most targeted by foreign states and cybercriminals. The report focuses on threats to companies engaged in research, development, and distribution of computer technology and hardware, IT consultancy and services, semiconductors, and software overall. However, CrowdStrike did not provide specific details regarding the identities of the targeted companies. The Chinese Embassy in Washington denied the report. CrowdStrike’s findings stem from data analysed between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. This period coincided with a surge in valuations and investment in technology companies developing AI and included high-value targets, said Adam Meyers, SVP of CrowdStrike. Previously, on 23 April 2026, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy accused China-based entities of conducting a deliberate, industrial-scale campaign to covertly seize models developed by the US for their own purposes. “There is an AI arms race between the US and China, and China intends to achieve global dominance by 2030,” Meyers said. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington stated that China opposes all forms of hacking and other activities contrary to applicable law. He also stressed that China condemns attempts at defamation and slander under the pretext of cybersecurity, further emphasising the importance of US-China cooperation in the development and regulation of AI. “During President Trump’s recent visit [to Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping], the two heads of state held constructive discussions on AI. They agreed to launch a government-to-government dialogue on AI,” he explained. The CrowdStrike report also highlighted hacking campaigns posing major threats from North Korea, specifically operations using fake identities to secure remote IT jobs at technology companies. The workers’ salaries were largely channelled back to the Pyongyang government, and their positions within companies provided a foothold for intelligence gathering. Hacker groups linked to Russia and Iran also heavily targeted the US technology sector and other countries for intelligence collection; occasionally, both nations were also said to launch destructive malware attacks. The report further noted an increase in hacking activity by cybercriminal groups aiming for financial gain, which generally targeted technology companies over the same period, including a 30% increase in adverts from hackers selling access to various targets.