FOIA Request

NJ, ME, TN Continue to Dodge FOIA Requests

Posted on by China Tech Threat
In 2019, China Tech Threat released a report on the failure of states to scrutinize the purchase of products and services from risky Chinese information technology vendors Lenovo and Lexmark which have been banned from U.S. military and intelligence networks for their connections with the Chinese government and military.  The alarming fact is, despite being banned at the federal level, many states unwittingly still have purchase contracts with these dangerous companies. At the state level, these types of attacks have been used to access sensitive personal and financial information held by various government agencies. To assess the threat level in the states and raise awareness, China Tech Threat conducted an extensive research project based on Freedom Of Information (FOIA) requests… Read More

Texas at Risk of Cyber Attacks Similar to New York and Others

Posted on by China Tech Threat
This week, China Tech Threat published a blog detailing a recent cyberattack on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a renowned research and engineering school in New York. With more than $6 million in spending in risky tech products affiliated with the Chinese government, including more than $405,000 worth of spending by college and universities across Texas, are Texas universities the next target?  Over the last 18 months or so, China Tech Threat has been sounding the alarm over risky tech contracts with Chinese government-owned technology manufacturers including Lexmark and Lenovo, both of which have been restricted by the Pentagon. It is these types of contracts that leave Americans across the country, vulnerable. Now, our latest work on exposing risky state spending… Read More

Senators Introduce Legislation to Address the China Tech Threat

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Yesterday, Senators Rubio and Markey introduced the Secure Equipment Act of 2021. According to the press release, the bill is “to direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify that it will no longer review, or approve, applications from companies on the Commission’s “Covered List.” It would also halt any further sales or implementation of technology from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua – all Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state-backed or directed firms – in the U.S. regardless of whether federal funds are involved. Here at China Tech Threat, we applaud this bipartisan effort to secure our national security and help protect the privacy, security and prosperity of all Americans. While this bill takes important steps, it is by no… Read More

Cyberattack Hits NY School With US Military Research Contracts

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat has been sounding the alarm over New York’s risky tech contracts with Chinese government-owned technology manufacturers including Lexmark and Lenovo, both of which have been banned by the Pentagon. These concerns have cited why New York, home to the world’s financial markets and high-tech research institutions, is such a valuable target. The latest news that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a renowned research and engineering school, is the latest cyberattack victim only reinforces these concerns.  An Albany Times Union editorial “High-Tech vulnerability” echoed these concerns writing on the breadth of the threat posed by hackers who have “gotten into computer systems for airports. Telecommunications companies. Airlines. Banks. Health care systems. Insurers. Law enforcement.” In its report that the FBI… Read More

Washington State Spends Nearly $9 million on Restricted Chinese Technology

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Just this month, two members of the House Homeland Security Committee continued the warnings over specific security and privacy threats posed by emerging Chinese tech companies. And now research shows the State of Washington is has emerged as a new risk center with neary $9 million spent on restricted Chinese government-owned technology, including risky purchases by the Washington State Legislature and Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. We are still seeing one of the largest threats come from state governments continuing to purchase U.S. military-restricted equipment. This includes buying products from Lenovo and Lexmark, Chinese-owned companies that have been restricted by multiple military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and around the globe because of security deficiencies. Through a… Read More

Calling on Sen. Schumer’s Leadership To Help Halt Government Purchases from Chinese State-Owned IT Forms

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Following Senator Schumer’s recent announcements about next-generation semiconductor research initiatives coming to Albany, China Tech Threat today issued a letter to Sen. Schumer requesting his support in determining what guardrails exist to prevent government purchases from Chinese state-owned manufacturers, particularly in New York State as the home to the world’s financial markets.  The letter by China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton cites New York’s State’s purchase of more than $28 million in technology products and services by Chinese state-owned tech manufacturers Lenovo and Lexmark, which have ownership ties to the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party. It was issued as New York plans to allocate $23.5 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funding, much of which will be used… Read More

Georgia’s State Spending is at the center of the US-China Tech Conflict

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Last week, The Washington Post reported that President Biden’s second big bill may be a China package to to counter China’s rising global power and proposes funding aimed at bolstering U.S. manufacturing and supply chains, among other measures. As China Tech Threat digs deeper into the ways in which China’s malign actions harm U.S. consumers, we support this effort.  We are still seeing one of the largest threats come from state governments continuing to purchase U.S. military-restricted equipment. This includes buying products from Lenovo, a Chinese-owned company that has been restricted by multiple military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and around the globe because of security deficiencies. Through a FOIA request, we found that Georgia has spent over $1… Read More

Kansas State Spending is Harming Kansans Far and Wide

Posted on by China Tech Threat
This week China Tech Threat is set to launch our new report: High Tech Heist: Chinese Government IT Vendors And The Threat To U.S. Banks. Through this report we show that, despite major investment by US banks in cybersecurity and significant federal policy efforts, attacks on US banks are increasing frequency, severity, and sophistication. In order to address these issues we must look within the US to see where our weaknesses lie. As we have previously notated, one of the largest threats comes from state governments continuing to purchase U.S. military-restricted equipment. This includes buying products from Lenovo, a Chinese-owned company that has been restricted by multiple military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and around the globe because of… Read More

New Hampshire Spends Over $1 million on Restricted Chinese-Owned Products

Posted on by China Tech Threat
This weekend, President Joe Biden expressed that his administration is ready for “extreme competition” with China. This is a welcomed approach as China Tech Threat continues to report on the danger of Chinese cyber threats to the US.  One of the largest threats comes from state governments continuing to purchase U.S. military-restricted equipment. This includes buying products from Lenovo, a Chinese-owned company that has been restricted by multiple military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and around the globe because of security deficiencies. Through a FOIA request, we found that New Hampshire has spent almost $1 million on Lenovo products and $8,000 on Lexmark products, in recent years giving the Chinese government having access and control over all data on… Read More

Nebraska Spending on Chinese-Owned Tech Puts Citizen Data At Risk

Posted on by China Tech Threat
As conversations around the way the new administration will tackle cybersecurity threats from China continue to evolve, two things are clear: concrete action is necessary, and it must be taken sooner rather than later. As China Tech Threat works to report on the danger of Chinese cyber threats to the US, we are once again finding that many state governments continue to put themselves in harm’s way.   One of the largest threats comes from state governments continuing to purchase U.S. military-restricted equipment. This includes buying products from Lenovo, a Chinese-owned company that has been banned by multiple military and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and around the globe because of security deficiencies. Through a FOIA request, we found that Nebraska… Read More