Chinese Hackers Outnumber US FBI Cyber Staff Fifty to One

According to the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Wray, Chinese hackers exceeded in number as compared to FBI cyber security staff by 50 to 1

The revelation occurred as the US and other nations dealt with significant cyber threats, particularly from China.

During a House Appropriations subcommittee meeting, the FBI Director, Wray, stated that to give you an idea of what we’re up against, if all of the FBI’s cyber agents and intelligence analysts concentrated solely on the China threat, Chinese hackers would still outnumber FBI Cyber professionals by at least 50 to 1.

He also informed the congressional panel that China has a more extensive hacking campaign than any other major country and has taken more of our corporate and personal data than any other nation.

In 2021, threat actors operating out of China breached the networks of at least 30,000 organizations in the US, including both government and private companies, using Microsoft’s Exchange Server software.

The FBI is looking into more than 100 ransomware strains, each with several victims.

KrebsOnSecurity claims that the Chinese intelligence agency took advantage of four flaws in the Microsoft Exchange server’s email system.

According to Microsoft, the flaws gave hackers access to email accounts and the ability to install malware, but it did not specify the number of affected businesses.

The White House had reported that nine federal agencies and around 100 businesses were affected by a massive cyberattack on the US that involved the SolarWinds software. Hackers also accessed the networks of NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).