China’s cyberwarfare against the United States has entered a far more dangerous phase. Chinese hackers have once again targeted hundreds of critical American and allied infrastructure networks in a potentially life-threatening operation, U.S. officials warned last week before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray announced that a Chinese-hacking operation was disrupted after it infected hundreds of routers with “KV botnet” malware, which hides further Chinese-hacking activities against the U.S. and its allies.

China is preparing to “wreak havoc” on American infrastructure, possibly killing or injuring civilians in the future, Wray said.

The operation gave China a foothold in U.S. computer networks responsible for essential facilities such as water treatment plants, electrical grids, oil and natural gas pipelines and transportation systems.

With such a wide variety of systems infiltrated, China could quickly launch damaging cyberattacks on America during future conflicts, especially over Taiwan. These attacks would focus on more than just political and military targets; “low blows against civilians are part of China’s plan” as well, Wray said.

[Such a conflict] could well endanger the lives of Americans here at home through the disruption of our pipelines, the severing of our telecommunications, the pollution of our water facilities, the crippling of our transportation modes—all to ensure [China] can incite societal panic and chaos and to deter our ability to marshal military might and civilian will.
—Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

The cyberespionage group responsible for the recent attacks, known as Volt Typhoon, has previously worked to infiltrate U.S. systems related to construction, communications, education, government operations, maritime activity, manufacturing and electric and gas utilities. While some of these Chinese infiltrations have since been dismantled, it is likely “just the tip of the iceberg,” Easterly said.

Over the past few years, China’s hacking abilities have become especially advanced and difficult to detect. The fbi believes China now uses artificial intelligence to improve their hacking operations and steal trade secrets.

In his testimony, Wray warned that there has been “far too little public focus” on the looming dangers of China’s hacking operations. The U.S. and its Western allies could be caught off guard by larger and more intense cyberattacks.

Those who follow the Trumpet, however, have long been aware of this vulnerability. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has repeatedly written about the danger of America’s dependence on computer systems, particularly in the military. In a January 1995 Trumpet article, he quoted Joseph de Courcy, who called this dependence the “Western world’s Achilles’ heel.”

A passage in Ezekiel 7 describes God’s punishment for the sins of the nations of Israel, mainly the U.S. and Britain. (Prove this truth for yourself by studying our free booklet The United States and Britain in Prophecy.)

Mr. Flurry emphasized one alarming scripture in particular: “They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof” (verse 14). He explained:

The trumpet of war was blown in Israel—mainly America and Britain. It seems everybody was expecting our people to go into battle. But the greatest tragedy imaginable occurred! Nobody went to battle—even though the trumpet was blown! Will it be because of a computer terrorist?

Another end-time prophecy in Isaiah 59:10 says America and Britain will “grope for the wall like the blind” and “stumble at noonday as in the night.” This blindness is already happening in a spiritual sense today, but it may also have a physical fulfillment. After enemy hackers disable vital systems that run American civilization, the entire population will be operating in the dark—including its capabilities to defend itself.

Soon, America could find itself in a position where the warning of war sounds, but it has already lost.

Fortunately, the Bible shows there is tremendous hope tied to these prophecies. After this coming war, mankind’s attempts to rule himself will be put to a decisive end, and war and conflict, including cyberwarfare, will be replaced by worldwide peace and prosperity.

To learn more about where this vulnerability will lead, read “China Hacks America—and ‘None Goes to Battle.’”