Cell phone outages will be ‘100 times worse’ when China invades Taiwan, warns top Intel Republican Marco Rubio, as FBI investigates whether huge AT&T outage was a hack

The catastrophic cell phone outage at AT&T was just a fraction of what ‘will’ happen in the US when China invades Taiwan, a US senator has warned.

About 74,000 users across the AT&T network were unable to make calls Thursday, with thousands more on other networks without service, according to DownDetector. Several thousand on other networks were left without service.

“I don’t know the reason for the AT&T outage,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee.

‘But I know it will be 100x worse when #China launches a cyber attack on America on the eve of a #Taiwan invasion. And it won’t just be mobile service they hit, it will be your electricity, your water and your bank,’ he continued.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are currently investigating the outages as a potential cyber attack. Downed cell service left some without the ability to call 911 in an emergency.

Fellow Florida Republican Carlos Gimenez echoed Rubio’s sentiment. He wrote on X: ‘Agreed Senator @marcorubio! Communist #China will continue to work overtime to undermine America and the free world.’

China recognizes Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control.

Although the US does not formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s main ally and supplier of military equipment – ​​a thorn in the side of Washington and Beijing.

The US State Department approved the sale of a $75 million advanced tactical data link system to Taiwan this week.

According to DownDetector, the number of reported outages rose to over 70,000 just after

Service disruptions have been reported across the country, with outages first occurring around 4:00 a.m. Eastern Time

A few days ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that China’s ability to carry out cyber attacks has grown to a “larger scale than we had seen before.”

While the Munich Security Conference was largely focused on wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, Wray warned politicians and intelligence officials not to lose sight of a more subtle threat, Beijing’s goal of planting malware inside critical US infrastructure.

Wray cited Volt Typhoon, the name given to the Chinese hacking network that infiltrated the US last year, but said it is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

Under ‘Volt Typhoon’, Beijing’s military has dug into more than 20 major suppliers in the past year alone, including a waterworks in Hawaii, a major West Coast port and at least one oil and gas pipeline, analysts revealed weeks ago.

They have bypassed complicated cyber security systems by intercepting passwords and log-ins unguarded by junior staff, leaving China ‘sitting on a stockpile of strategic’ vulnerabilities.

“It is very clear that Chinese attempts to compromise critical infrastructure are in part to preposition themselves to be able to disrupt or destroy that critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict,” said Brandon Wales of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure. Security Agency.

US faces growing concern over cyber and satellite attacks from Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right

In August, the hackers were seen trying to penetrate systems operated by the Texas Public Utility Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which provide the state’s power.

But Hawaii is believed to be the biggest target given the crucial role it would play for the United States if the conflict broke out over Taiwan.

In May, Microsoft revealed Chinese attempts to infiltrate dozens of sectors in Guam, the closest US territory to Taiwan.

Communications, manufacturing, utility, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education organizations were targeted by Volt Typhoon.

It also comes after House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner last week demanded that President Biden declassify information related to an urgent national security threat that was later revealed to relate to Russia’s anti-satellite capabilities.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday taunted the West with a joyride in a modernized supersonic Tu-160M ​​strategic nuclear bomber.

The Biden administration is eyeing more sanctions against Russia following the death of Putin dissident Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison.

Since it happened last week, Russia has taken an American ballerina into custody and charged her with treason for donating $51 to a Ukrainian cause and the mysterious death of a Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine and was living in Spain.