A Chinese manufacturer that sells most of the world’s Bitcoin-mining machines — including 16,000 of them to a venture backed by two of President Donald Trump’s sons — has been the focus of a months-long federal investigation to assess whether its products pose risks to US national security. The use of Beijing-based Bitmain Technologies Ltd.’s machines at a site near a military base raised “significant national security concerns” in a federal review last year. And the firm’s name surfaced again in July in a report from the Senate Intelligence Committee that said its devices could be manipulated from China and that they present “several disturbing vulnerabilities” to the US. All the while, Bitmain’s hardware was at the center of a federal investigation known as “Operation Red Sunset,” according to a US official and six other people familiar with aspects of the inquiry. The investigation, led by agents of the US Department of Homeland Security, was launched to determine whether the machines could be remotely controlled for spying or to sabotage the American power grid, the official and people said.

Full report : Homeland Security thinks Chinese firm, Bitmain’s Bitcoin mining chips could be used for espionage or to sabotage the power grid.