An investigation by the US Congress into Chinese-built cargo cranes has found suspicious technology that could potentially be used to disrupt or spy on American commercial activities, according to a report.
The House Homeland Security Committee said that it has discovered cellular modems that were installed in cranes and which can be remotely accessed by hostile powers, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The committee’s discovery has fueled concerns in the Biden administration that cranes built by a Chinese firm, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), could potentially be used to spy on US ports.
More than 12 cellular modems were found in Chinese-made cranes that were relied upon in several US ports, according to the Journal.
While some of the modems were used for operational functions such as monitoring and tracking maintenance remotely, others were installed despite the fact that the ports in which they were being used hadn’t requested them.
China “is looking for every opportunity to collect valuable intelligence and position themselves to exploit vulnerabilities by systematically burrowing into America’s critical infrastructure, including in the maritime sector,” Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said.
“The United States has clearly overlooked this threat for far too long.”
In the US, roughly 80% of the giant cranes used to lift and haul cargo off ships onto US docks come from China, and are controlled remotely, said Admiral John Vann, commander of the US Coast Guard’s cyber command.
Read the full sdtory at the New York Post.
