1. Cyber Espionage & Data Theft

China’s cyber units have repeatedly targeted government systems, defense contractors, research universities, and critical infrastructure operators. These operations aim to obtain sensitive intellectual property, personnel data, and defense-related technologies.

2. Influence Operations

Through social platforms, information manipulation, and covert influence tactics, China attempts to shape public narratives and policy debates in ways that align with its strategic interests.

3. Critical Infrastructure Cyber Attacks

Campaigns such as Volt Typhoon demonstrate China’s capability to infiltrate U.S. infrastructure systems—energy, water, transportation, and communications—with the intent to pre-position disruptive cyber tools.

4. Supply Chain Security Risks

China’s dominant position in manufacturing, electronics, and rare-earth elements introduces risks related to hardware backdoors, firmware manipulation, counterfeit components, and single-point-of-failure vulnerabilities.

Executives must view these threats as interconnected—not isolated events.