Who is Volt Typhoon? A State-sponsored Actor? Or Dark Power?

Cyber attribution is complicated. After all the publicity about Volt Typhoon as a Chinese state hacking group, we have more questions than answers.

Revelations about the Volt Typhoon hacking group’s targeting of US critical infrastructure shows Chinese cyber operations have permanently altered the cyberthreat landscape, US officials said at the RSA cybersecurity conference in early May.  “China has moved beyond the traditional goal of nation-state hacking operations – spying on an adversary – into something more sinister.” If we recall, this was not the first time this year that US officials have called out the significance of Volt Typhoon campaigns. At the end of January, after the US Department of Justice (US DoJ) took down a botnet allegedly used by Volt Typhoon, US officials pointed out that China’s “historical focus on stealing state secrets and espionage,” meaning cyber espionage for political and economic interests, has evolved into a more ominous intention to prepare for destructive attacks. As US officials said, Volt Typhoon campaigns show “a new interest in preparing and launching destructive cyberattacks against US ele…