US says it blocked a China cyber threat, but warns hackers could still disrupt lives of Americans

By DIDI TANG, ERIC TUCKER and FRANK BAJAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Chris Wray has told House lawmakers that Chinese government hackers are busily targeting critical infrastructure inside the United States, including water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems. Wray is appearing Wednesday before a House select committee focused on China. Underscoring the threat, the Justice Department and FBI announced just before the hearing that they had disrupted a botnet of hundreds of U.S.-based small office and home routers hijacked by the Chinese state hackers in the operation to sow the malware. Wray says China’s hackers “are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities.” China calls the accusations groundless.