Trump Administration's Cybersecurity Strategy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration plans to impose higher costs on private and adversarial actors engaging in cyber attacks, according to Mike Waltz, the chosen national security adviser, speaking on CBS News.

These remarks follow U.S. accusations of a significant Chinese cyber espionage campaign, termed Salt Typhoon, which allegedly targeted senior American political figures and affected at least eight telecommunications and infrastructure firms, resulting in the theft of a large amount of Americans' metadata.

While Waltz did not specify the administration's response to Salt Typhoon, he emphasized a shift from a defensive posture to an offensive approach against data theft and espionage. He stated that it is time to start imposing consequences on those who continue to infringe on U.S. sovereign data.

Waltz also highlighted the potential role of the private U.S. technology sector in both defending against such threats and making adversaries more vulnerable.

Chinese officials have dismissed the allegations, labeling them disinformation and asserting that Beijing opposes cyber attacks and theft in all forms.