Published 12:14 IST, August 10th 2020
US accuses China of targeting 2020 election infrastructure using cyberattacks
United States have accused China of hacking their election infrastructure using cyberattacks. According to Robert O'Brien there is active chinese interference.
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Hackers linked with the Chinese government have been allegedly targeting US election infrastructure ahead of the US Presidential election 2020. According to Robert O'Brien, who is the National Security Adviser at White House, there is an active level of chinese interference. His comments came after a statement released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on August 7.
Targeting the election infrastructure
According to the statement, China has been trying to expand its influence and Russia is trying to undercut Democratic candidate Joe Biden. However, the statement did not accuse Beijing of hacking the US election related systems. O'Brien said, "They'd like to see the President lose. China - like Russia, like Iran - they've engaged in cyberattacks and phishing and that sort of thing with respect to our election infrastructure, with respect to websites and that sort of thing".
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However, China has declined all such claims. Reportedly, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the 2020 US Presidential elections is an internal affair and they had no hand in interfering in it. However, O’Brien said that the US had seen hackers who tried to invade websites which were associated with the Secretary of State offices. Reports suggest that the Secretary of State offices is responsible for collecting data and administering elections at local level in the US. O’Brien said "It is a real concern and it's not just Russia. There will be severe consequences for any country that attempts to interfere in our free and fair elections".
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According to the reports, Previously, the ODNI had said that "adversaries" sometimes tend to compromise on the private communications of American political candidates. As a result of this they can infiltrate into U.S. election systems ahead of November's election. Also, China would prefer that President Donald Trump does not win reelection. However, this time the ODNI declined to comment on whether O'Brien's comments contradicted their own.
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(Image Credits: AP)
12:15 IST, August 10th 2020