Congress probe finds suspicious tech in Chinese-made cargo cranes

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.

That leaves them vulnerable to attack, he said.

“By design, these cranes may be controlled, serviced, and programmed from remote locations,” Vann told Newsweek magazine in February.

“These features potentially leave PRC-manufactured cranes vulnerable to exploitation,”

Last month, the Biden administration said it plans to invest billions of dollars in the domestic manufacturing of cargo cranes.

The administration pledged an investment of more than $20 billion that would be earmarked for port security and domestic cargo crane production over the next five years.

The money will be set aside from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that was signed into law in 2021.

The US-made cranes will be produced by an American subsidiary of Japanese multinational firm Mitsui, according to Biden administration officials.

“We felt there was real strategic risk here,” Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, told The Wall Street Journal.

“These cranes, because they are essentially moving the large-scale containers in and out of port, if they were encrypted in a criminal attack, or rented or operated by an adversary, that could have real impact on our economy’s movement of goods and our military’s movement of goods through ports.”

Last month, President Joe Biden signed an executive order and created a federal rule aimed at better securing the nation’s ports from potential cyberattacks.

The administration is outlining a set of cybersecurity regulations that port operators must comply with across the country, not unlike standardized safety regulations that seek to prevent injury or damage to people and infrastructure.

China is perceived as a threat to national security by members of Congress as well as in the administration.

Citing potential national security risks, the Biden administration said last month it will investigate Chinese-made “smart cars” that can gather sensitive information about Americans driving them.

The probe could lead to new regulations aimed at preventing China from using sophisticated technology in electric vehicles and other so-called connected vehicles to track drivers and their personal information.

Officials are concerned that features such as driver assistance technology could be used to effectively spy on Americans.

The Post has sought comment from the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC.

An embassy spokesperson was quoted as telling the Journal that the claims made by US officials about a national security risk posed by Chinese-made cargo cranes were “entirely paranoia” and that they were tantamount to “abusing national power to obstruct normal economic and trade cooperation.”

With Post Wires