Cyber Smackdown: US Shields Up as China Hacks Hard - Whos Winning the Digital Duel?

This is your Tech Shield: US vs China Updates podcast.

Hey listeners, Ting here—your go-to for all things China, cyber, and that ever-evolving digital tug-of-war. Let’s dive headfirst into the big cyber showdowns of the week: Tech Shield, US vs China edition. This week’s headlines have been less “calm shield” and more like “firewall on full alert.”

Top of the stack, US cyber defenders have been in blitz mode since that explosive Joint Cybersecurity Advisory dropped, detailing the Salt Typhoon campaign out of China. According to the New York Times and, frankly, every relevant Western intelligence ally, Salt Typhoon is no B-movie hacker collective; we're talking about some of the most persistent, professional actors exploiting vulnerabilities in core infrastructure—think routers, authentication protocols, even telecom and military networks. These hackers aren’t just playing “capture the flag”—they make new privileged accounts, reroute servers to Chinese-controlled addresses, and erase their digital fingerprints like cyberghosts. The report’s timing, aligned with Beijing’s military parade showcasing information warfare formations—yes, actual parade floats for cyberspace units—made the narrative impossible to ignore.

On the American side, updates from the Pentagon and the Center for a New American Security highlight where our shield shines brightest—and where it still sputters. Counter-drone defenses, especially, are racing to keep pace with China’s (admittedly jaw-dropping) proliferation of unmanned and autonomous systems. Stacie Pettyjohn out of CNAS points out that, even after a decade of investment, US defenses risk being overwhelmed if China lets loose a mass drone swarm. The Pentagon’s big push right now: deploying high-power microwave tech—think EMP guns—to zap whole swaths of drones, and leveraging AI for lightning-fast threat detection. No pressure, right?

If you’re an industry insider or a CISO, this next bit matters to you. CISA’s deep in the trenches finalizing CIRCIA rules—those mandatory rapid-incident reports that everyone’s been talking about since Colonial Pipeline. The latest: they’re streamlining requirements to reduce reporting fatigue but still demand critical infrastructure outfits notify CISA within 72 hours of any serious cyberattack, or within 24 hours for ransomware. Marci McCarthy at CISA stresses that industry feedback is shaping the final rule, and a more harmonized national reporting framework is coming—essential when you consider the scale and frequency of these attacks.

Now, let’s talk offensive moves. Alexei Bulazel from the National Security Council didn’t pull punches at the Billington Cyber Summit. The US is ready to go on offense as needed but isn’t taking eyes off defense (“yes, and”—not “either/or,” folks). Expect more public-private partnerships, more AI in patching and scanning, and, bonus points—DARPA innovations that patched flaws in under 45 minutes during recent trials.

The gap? Even with all these upgrades, many experts argue the US is still playing catch-up. China’s escalation in AI-driven information warfare and unmanned systems remains a moving target. And while the industry’s collaborating more than ever, the sheer number of devices—and the persistence of Chinese threat actors—means we’re dancing on a digital razor’s edge.

All things considered, the lines are drawn more clearly than ever. If 2025 is teaching us anything, it’s that digital defense isn’t a spectator sport. The landscape keeps moving, and so do the rules of engagement.

Thanks for tuning in to Tech Shield: US vs China. Smash that subscribe button to stay ahead in the cyber cat-and-mouse game. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hay listeners, ting here your go to for all things China,
cyber and that ever evolving digital tug of war. Let's
dive headfirst into the bits cyber showdowns of the week
text Shield US Versus China edition. This week's headlines have
been less calm shield and more like firewall on full
alert top of the stack. US cyber defenders have been

(00:24):
in blitz mode since that explosive Joint Cybersecurity Advisory dropped
detailing the Salt Typhoon campaign out of China. According to
The New York Times and frankly every relevant Western intelligence ally,
Salt Typhoon is no b movie hacker collective. We're talking
about some of the most persistent professional actors exploiting vulnerabilities

(00:47):
in core infrastructure, think routers, authentication protocols, even telecom and
military networks. These hackers aren't just playing capture the flag.
They make new privileged accounts, re route servers to Chinese
controlled addresses, and erase their digital fingerprints like cyber ghosts.

(01:07):
The report's timing aligned with Beijing's military parade showcasing information
warfare formations. Yes, actual parade floats for cyberspace units made
the narrative impossible to ignore. On the American side, updates
from the Pentagon and the Center for a New American
Security highlight where our shield shine's brightest and where it

(01:30):
still sputters. Counter drone defenses especially, are racing to keep
pace with China's agmittedly jaw dropping proliferation of unmanned and
autonomous systems. Stacy Pettijohn out of cn S points out
that even after a decade of investment, US defenses risk
being overwhelmed if China lets loose a mass drone swarm.

(01:54):
The Pentagon's big push right now, deploying high power microwave
tech think e MP guns to zap whole swaths of drones,
and leveraging AI for lightning fast threat detection, no pressure Right.
If you're an industry insider or a SISO, this next
bit matters to you. Sisos deepen the trenches, finalizing sea

(02:15):
circuit rules, those mandatory rapid incident reports that everyone's been
talking about since Colonial pipeline the lightest. There's streamlining requirements
to reduce reporting fatigue, but still demand critical infrastructure outfits
notify SISO within seventy two hours of any serious cyber
attack or within twenty four hours for ransomware. Marthy McCarthy

(02:38):
at SISO stresses that industry feedback is shaping the final
rule and a more harmonized national reporting framework is coming
essential when you consider the scale and frequency of these attacks. Now,
let's talk offensive moves. Alexey Bulasal from the National Security
Council didn't pull punches at the Billington Cyber Summit. The

(02:59):
u US is ready to go on offense as needed,
but isn't taking eyes off defense? Yes and not either
or Folks expect more public private partnerships, more AI in
patching and scanning, end bonus points, darper innovations that patched
flaws in under forty five minutes during recent trials the gap.

(03:22):
Even with all these upgrades, many experts argue the US
is still playing catch up. China's escalation in AI driven
information warfare and unmanned systems remains a moving target, and
while the industry's collaborating more than ever, the sheer number
of devices and the persistence of Chinese threat actors means
we're dancing on a digital razor's edge. All things considered,

(03:46):
the lines are drawn more clearly than ever. If twenty
twenty five is teaching us anything. It's that digital defense
isn't a spectator sport. The landscape keeps moving, and so
do the rules of engagin Thanks for tuning in to
tech Shield US versus China. Smash that subscribe button to

(04:07):
stay ahead in the cyber cat and mouse game. This
has been a quiet please production. For more check out
Quiet Please dot Ai