(NewsNation) — The Biden administration is hunting malicious computer code after officials found suspected Chinese malware across several military systems, and experts believe the intent is likely to disrupt rather than monitor, The New York Times reports.

The first hints of malware emerged in late May after Microsoft identified the malicious code in telecommunications software in Guam, the Pacific island with a vast American air base, and elsewhere in the U.S.

“It’s a very serious concern,” said former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. “I’ve always said since my days in office that I thought the first shots of an opening conflict with China would be in both space and cyberspace.”

Officials told The New York Times that investigations into Chinese malware had been underway for several months prior and that the malicious code had infiltrated U.S. military systems, including power grids, communications systems and water supplies, across the country and abroad. Previous cyberattacks typically aimed to spy on U.S. operations, experts told the outlet.

“China is steadfast and determined to penetrate our governments, our companies, our critical infrastructure,” Deputy Director of the National Security Agency George Barnes said at the Intelligence and National Security Summit earlier this month.

Experts believe the new incidents of malicious code have the ability to disrupt U.S. military and civilian operations.

“You’ve got to keep in mind that the military, certainly the Army is mostly based in the United States. So it deploys to a future fight. So if the Chinese can disrupt those things at home, then that would be problematic,” Esper said.

He added that officials have discussed the issue of Chinese malware, Russian malware and Korean malware for several years.

“This is in some ways considered an Achilles heel for the United States, that’s why there’s been a push for many, many years to get broader public-private cooperation within the United States on these matters,” Esper said. “We can be more quickly alerted to possible malware, cyber intrusions, those things and we could push back on the Chinese.”

In response to questions from The New York Times to the White House about the issue, National Security Council spokesman Adam R. Hodge said: “The Biden administration is working relentlessly to defend the United States from any disruptions to our critical infrastructure, including by coordinating interagency efforts to protect water systems, pipelines, rail and aviation systems, among others.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.