SUSSED OUT

Communications Terminals Found on Chinese Cranes at U.S. Ports: WSJ

Some ports reportedly knew that the modems existed but couldn’t explain why they were there.

A congressional investigation discovered mysterious communications terminals built into Chinese-made cranes used at U.S. ports that could pose a significant threat to U.S. security, The Wall Street Journal reported. The probe found remote-access cellular modems on cranes made by ZPMC, a Chinese manufacturer that supplies more than 80 percent of cranes used at U.S. ports. Although cellular modems are sometimes installed on cranes to track operations and maintenance, these particular modems hadn’t been requested by the ports that use them. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, warned that the threat of Chinese espionage was imminent. The Chinese government “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,” he told the newspaper. A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in D.C. dismissed the concerns as “entirely paranoia” designed “to obstruct normal economic and trade cooperation.”