China Able to Spy on US With Intelligence-Gathering Devices on Seaport Cranes, House Report Finds

A Chinese company installed intelligence gathering equipment on cranes used at seaports across the US that could allow Beijing to spy on Americans and cripple key infrastructure, according to a new congressional report.

The Republican majorities on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and House Homeland Security Committee found that the Shanghai-based, state-owned ZPMC engineering company had pressured American port authorities to allow remote access to its cranes, “with a particular focus on those located on the West Coast.”

“If granted, this access could potentially be extended to other [People’s Republican of China] government entities, posing a significant risk due to the PRC’s national security laws that mandate cooperation with state intelligence agencies,” adds the report, the outcome of a yearlong investigation.

The devices found attached to the cranes include cellular modems that were “not requested by US ports or included in contracts … [and] constitute a significant backdoor security vulnerability that undermines the integrity of port operations,” the report said.

“These unknown modems were believed to be installed under the auspices of collecting usage data for the equipment,” the report said, citing contract documents and statements from port operators. “These modems – although not necessary for the operation of the cranes – created an obscure method to collect information, and bypass firewalls in a manner that could potentially disrupt port operations.” (Read more from “China Able to Spy on US With Intelligence-Gathering Devices on Seaport Cranes, House Report Finds” HERE)