Cyber Smackdown: US-China Tech Tensions Boil Over! Salt Typhoon, Sanctions, and Supply Chain Showdowns

This is your Beijing Bytes: US-China Tech War Updates podcast.Hi listeners, it’s Ting, your resident digital detective with a knack for all things cyber, hacking, and China—especially when Washington and Beijing start throwing tech haymakers. Let’s jump straight into the main event: the last two weeks of the US-China tech war have been a rollercoaster, and, honestly, things are only heating up. Strap in.First up, the cybersecurity front. The so-called Salt Typhoon campaign, which already made headlines by hacking Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile—affecting nearly 400 million Americans—has found a new playground. According to researchers at Symantec and Carbon Black, Salt Typhoon-linked crews have exploited a critical Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability, CVE-2025-53770, to breach government agencies, a Middle Eastern telecom giant, African government departments, and even a US university. The technique? Pre-patch exploitation—classic move. Microsoft originally pointed fingers at Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603, but now Salt Typhoon’s fingerprints are all over the ToolShell attacks, deploying delights like Zingdoor, ShadowPad, and KrustyLoader. Not to be outdone, F5 just confirmed that the China-based UNC5221 crew swiped chunks of BIG-IP source code and internal docs using custom malware dubbed BRICKSTORM, prompting CISA to mandate emergency patches for federal agencies. Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of State Security claims, via Global Times, that the NSA hacked the National Time Service Center in Xi’an, stealing staff data and mapping network infrastructure. The MSS is painting the US as the real “Matrix” of chaos—talk about irony in the age of mutual cyber espionage.On the policy side, Washington isn’t sitting still. The 2025 NDAA already bans the Department of Defense from buying LiDAR or ranging tech from China. US lawmakers are also urging Treasury’s OFAC to expand sanctions on Chinese companies tied to Salt Typhoon—think Sichuan Juxinhe, Beijing Huanyu Tianqiong, and Shanghai Heiying, who’ve allegedly been monetizing stolen data. Meanwhile, China’s Cyberspace Administration and State Taxation Administration rolled out fresh rules requiring all internet platforms—yes, including Pinduoduo, Didi, and Ele.me—to file operator and employee income data by October 31. Miss the deadline, and it’s financial penalties or worse. The message? Beijing wants total visibility into the digital economy, and they’re not shy about it.In the rare earths arena, analysts at Portas Consulting warn that trade wars are shifting from tariffs to the minerals that power everything from EVs to guided missiles. China holds the cards here, and the US is still playing catch-up—something to watch as both nations double down on semiconductor and green tech supply chains.So, what’s the big picture? The US is scrambling to harden networks, sanction Beijing’s cyber mercenaries, and decouple from Chinese tech wherever possible. China is tightening domestic data controls, flexing cyber muscles abroad, and leveraging its command over critical resources. Experts think we’re entering a phase of persistent, low-intensity cyber conflict, with each side probing for weaknesses—expect more zero-days, more sanctions, and more scrutiny on cross-border data flows.Looking ahead, the risk isn’t just more hacks or policy tit-for-tat. It’s the normalization of digital brinkmanship—where every vulnerability becomes a geopolitical bargaining chip, and every company is caught in the crossfire. For the tech and security communities on both sides, it’s adapt or get left behind.Thanks for tuning in, and if you’re hungry for more deep dives into the world’s most fascinating tech cold war, make sure to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.For more http://www.quietplease.aiGet the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

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