Countries invest numerous and expensive resources toward security. Threats to countries arise from various sources, some of which include terror groups and other bodies within particular countries or foreign ones. One of the most common and severe security threats in the present-day world is cybercrimes. The United States security organ is responsible for ensuring the security of US citizens and its territories. Among the major areas that concern the United States Security department is physical, political, economic, as well as ecological security. Cybercrimes have the possibility of tampering with these four areas hence its importance. Globally, many trends in the cyber domain pose a significant threat to the United States National Security. One of the risks to US national security is China’s Cyber espionage.
China’s Cyber Espionage
With competition for global resources, power and economic superiority, the world is witnessing growing cases and episodes of cybercrimes. Cybercrimes are becoming a popular method through which nations advance their agenda towards acquiring global supremacy. China has been on the spot in recent years over its cyber espionage. It has carried out various suspicious activities which are deemed a threat, both to the United States of America and the globe in general. An Advanced Persistent Threat is a cyber-system, usually state-sponsored, that gains access into another country’s computer networks, siphoning crucial data, hence acting as a spy program. China has been shown to use such systems in a bid to gain superiority globally. One such method is the People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 61398 is a state-sponsored espionage organization. This group has been found guilty of compromising data consisting of business plans, company assets, network information, product development plans, and administrative data. Since the formation of this unit in the early 2000s, China has witnessed tremendous growth and development in critical areas, notably, its economy and military. Since funding began, the United States has been a primary target. This group poses a significant threat to the United States’ economy, military, as well as politics.
APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 as a Threat to the United States Economy
The United States is by far, one of the world’s largest economies. Compared to the other G7 countries, the United States economy was the only one to have grown by over 2% between 2018 and 2019. Further data reveals that American workers enjoy huge benefits from the continued economic expansion of the United States economy. On the other hand, China is viewed as the world’s fastest-growing economy. The commercial growth rate in China has been approximated at about six per cent over the last thirty years.
In the recent past, China, in its advancements to bypass the US and become the world’s largest economy, has used the APT 1 PLA unit 61398 to hack several well-established business firms in the US. Since 2006, Fire eye’s Mandiant has been compiling a list of cybercrime activities which were carried out on primary industries, not only in the United States but also across the world. Both the Mandiant and the United States’ intelligence have managed to trace these cyber espionage activities to China’s APT 1 PLA Unit 61398.
The APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 is thought to have a large and complex attack infrastructure which with more than one thousand servers. Felt to receive backing from the Communist Party of China, the APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 has established secrete, complex and well-defined attack methodologies over the years it has been in operation. There are over one hundred and forty-one companies which are associated with close to twenty industries that have been victims of APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 cyber espionage. The unit steals large volumes of data and intellectual property. Once a company’s database has been compromised, the APT1 systems remain in the database for long, sourcing important and classified information. The information ranges from technological blueprints, proprietary manufacturing processes, test results, business plans, pricing documents, as well as partnership agreements.
China, having emerged as the world’s fasted growing economy, has risen to become a significant trading partner with the United States. This rise has partly contributed to growth of the United States economy, with the total trade between the two countries rising from five billion US dollars to over three hundred and forty billion US Dollars between 1980 and 2006. China has grown to become the United States’ second-largest trading partner and its fourth-largest export market.
While the rise of China in trade has partly contributed to the growth in the US economy, US policymakers view this as a considerable threat to the US economy. With the help of such cyber espionage systems such as the APT 1 PLA Unit 61398, China still gains an illegal competitive advantage over the United States. Data obtained from the numerous companies is used to the benefit of the Chines government and companies. With this system in place, China’s economy will continue growing at the expense of the US economy. After gaining valuable and commendable economic growth, China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. However, since then, it has been accused of unevenly implementing WTO policies, a move that has continuously denied US companies the privilege that Chinese companies enjoyed in the US.
APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 as a Threat to the United States Military
As the world superpower, the United States faces various threats. In trying to combat this, the US government has, over the recent past, committed to spending on its military, both equipment and human resource. Military spending takes the second most significant portion of the annual United States budget, after social security. In 2019 alone, the United States spent just over nine hundred billion dollars on its military. Despite this vast expenditure, the US military still faces threats from various sources, including the ATP1 PLA Unit 61398.
The US faces numerous enemies hence the need to have a competent and robust military capable of thwarting any threat. However, on a few occasions, it has suffered multiple attacks. China’s ATP1 PLA Unit 61398 is suspected in various cases of cyber-attacks on the United States military. In trying to locate the origin of the cyber-attacks, the Mandiant traced some of the cyber espionage activities to a twelve-story white building, on the outskirts of Shanghai. The building is considered to be the base for numerous Chinese cyber worriers. The Mandiant further notes that this group of cyber warriors is referred to as the ‘Comment Crew’ or the ‘Shanghai Group.’ The US accuses China of using the group members to launch cyber-attacks on the US military bases, allegations which China refutes. In 2014 the US arrested five Chinese military officers who had hacked into American nuclear companies to steal trade secrets.
The Pentagon categorizes China’s ATP1 PLA Unit 61398 as a threat to the US military. Continued illegal access of this unit into the US military and intelligence system means that the US secretes are known by China, a potential enemy, viewed by many countries as being driven by the hunger to become the world’s superpower. China has the second-highest expenditure on the military, with sophisticated and modernized equipment. Its military is thought to be a potential military superpower. The cyberattacks continue exposing both the US military and citizens to risks. Even though the Obama administration had communicated to Beijing the findings of China’s ATP1 PLA Unit 61398 hacking activities on the US military, China has not stopped, a move many see as a threat to the diplomatic ties between Beijing and Washington.
APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 as a Threat to the United States Politics
The United States has got one of the most stable politics across the globe. Politics play a significant role in shaping up a country’s economy. In terms of development, the United States policymakers are responsible for coming up with policies and strategies aimed at achieving further progress in the world. However, such kind of policies, plans, and meetings are still prone to cyber-attacks. The APT 1 PLA Unit 61398, with its continued, secrete hacking into US systems, is a benefactor of such policies and strategies. The unit’s activities have drawn harsh criticism from the US government. The Mandiant documents the APT 1 PLA Unit 61398 to have gained access to highly classified data on policy positions such as white papers, as well as agendas and minutes from high ranking meetings.
The PLA activities not only act as a threat to the United States’ politics; they also threaten to interfere with the diplomatic ties between China and the United States. Cyber-attacks on the United States leaves classified information in the hands of perceived enemies who can use it against the US and the American citizens. Additionally, the attacks leave the systems vulnerable, exposing them to compromise further. These activities pose a considerable threat to the United States political agenda. For instance, the last US elections are thought to have been interfered with; this is one consequence of having vulnerable systems. Once the political secretes are put in the public, a country is left exposed.
Conclusion
The United States faces various threats as a result of cyber espionage activities, usually perpetrated by China’s APT 1 PLA Unit 61398. China is accused of carrying out several cyberattacks on the various countries across the globe. The US has been a constant victim of these cybercrimes. As a result of these cyber espionage activities, the US faces threats in three major areas; these are political, military, as well as the economy.