China’s ‘biggest threat’ to the US has been revealed (Image: Getty)
A cybersecurity expert has delivered a chilling alert that China represents the greatest technological threat to Western countries, possessing the ability to trigger a ‘killswitch’ on America’s power grid at will.
In response to this disclosure, the United States has initiated numerous probes into Chinese-made technology, with various investigations revealing ‘malicious, mysterious computer codes’ that can be remotely triggered to disable critical infrastructure such as natural gas pipelines and electrical networks.
Arnie Bellini, co-founder and former CEO of ConnectWise, considers this the most serious threat confronting America, noting that Chinese tech companies often maintain strong connections with Chinese Communist Party leadership – a government that has consistently expressed its goal to undermine the US and Western allies.
Even cargo cranes were found to have spyware placed by Chinese companies (Image: Getty Images)
Bellini has delivered a sobering assessment regarding the dangers of incorporating Chinese technology into essential infrastructure, declaring: “Iran is a great warm up for what we will face from China. It’s the fact that we’re buying equipment from China. We’re already putting it into our infrastructure, which already has the capability to ‘call back’ to Beijing, flip the switch, and turn it off, and we’re putting it in our water supply systems and our electric systems.
“We’re using them for video surveillance cameras… not good. None of that’s good. So the Chinese manufacturers-I don’t think a lot of people understand exactly how China operates, but it’s very interesting and very simple – It’s like all the large manufacturers, almost all of them, the ones that you’re really buying products from, they’re all partially funded or sponsored by the government.
“They’ve got government subsidies. They have government officials on their board of directors. And that’s not so strange in a country except for the fact that this is a communist party who has vowed to take down the United States of America. It has no ethics.
Transformers used in grids all over the US have malicious software placed by China (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Booby traps
“You cannot believe anything they say. They lie all the time. They cheat and they steal. They’re liars, cheaters, and stealers – their government, their people are wonderful, I love them. The government has been lying, cheating, and stealing from its own people forever.
“They’ve put all of these built-in booby traps and built-in ‘call to Beijing’ functions in a lot of the stuff that we’re buying.”
Concerns have been raised about products potentially containing kill switches or spyware, including industrial Robot Dogs from Unitree Go1, ship-to-shore cranes (ZPMC), solar inverters and batteries, bluetooth/Wi-Fi chips (ESP32 by Espressif), surveillance cameras (Hikvision & Dahua), transformers, and electrical infrastructure.
Hidden backdoor
In April, security experts discovered a hidden backdoor in the Go1 robot dogs by Unitree Robotics, a Chinese manufacturer. This backdoor is a covert software feature that allows for secret remote access and control over the devices.
Once connected to the internet, the robots automatically establish a connection to Unitree’s servers through a tunnel service provided by CloudSail, a remote management platform from Zhexi Technology. This concealed channel enables remote operation, camera access, and system infiltration using an API key.
The issue of power converters is particularly alarming as “kill switches” could potentially allow Beijing to shut down electricity grids, leading to widespread blackouts in Western countries. Power inverters are crucial for converting direct current (DC) from solar panels or wind turbines into alternating current (AC), which is used by electrical grids.
A cybersecurity expert says Chinese products have a ‘killswitch’ and it will affect the US (Image: getty)
Kill Switch
These ‘kill switch’ functions have been found in equipment at American solar facilities. In 2023, U.S. officials grew increasingly concerned about cranes made in China, especially those by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. (ZPMC).
These cranes are in use at several U.S. ports, including some with military importance, as reported by the WSJ.
These cranes are fitted with sophisticated sensors and software created to monitor and oversee containers. U.S. officials worry that these capabilities could be exploited to surveil the transportation of classified cargo, including military hardware, potentially giving China valuable intelligence about American logistics and defense operations.
Business operations persist despite dangers
In recent years, numerous cranes have been disposed of or sent back due to these security threats. Nevertheless, Bellini observes that many of these products are bought or sold by American companies who, eager to prevent creating a ‘big stink’, keep importing these budget-friendly items.
Bellini has expressed backing for President Donald Trump‘s plan to accelerate domestic manufacturing, seeking to decrease dependence on foreign technology. “Thankfully, the Trump administration recognizes this and is doing something about it,” Bellini declared.
“We can’t secure America with infrastructure made by our adversaries. Every transformer, crane, or camera built in China is a potential listening device or kill switch. We need a national strategy that builds our own defenses literally and digitally.”
The Department of Homeland Security even operates a webpage to monitor such security violations. Despite exhaustive investigations and continuous efforts, Bellini cautions that the risk of cyber espionage from China is still prevalent.
“We’re buying it, right? We’re implementing it ourselves. We’re opening up the gates and we’re rolling in the Trojan horse.”
