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An alliance of American and allied intelligence agencies has exposed a years-long cyber campaign by Chinese hackers targeting US critical infrastructure.

According to a joint statement released on Wednesday by the US National Security Agency (NSA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, and the Transportation Security Administration, alongside cybersecurity agencies from Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, the hacking group known as “Volt Typhoon” has been actively infiltrating sectors such as aviation, rail, mass transit, and more, for up to five years.

This collaborative alert reveals that “American intelligence officials have observed the hackers maintaining access and footholds within some victim IT environments for at least five years.” Highlighting the severity of the threat, the statement notes, “Most of the victims we have identified have no legitimate espionage value.”

The response to Volt Typhoon’s activities has included high-level discussions between the White House and the private technology sector, aiming to bolster defenses against these intrusions. Following these revelations, the US government has reportedly initiated actions to combat the threat with an operation “to fight Volt Typhoon by remotely disabling aspects of its operation.”