Chinese state-sponsored hackers had carried out a “broad and significant cyber-espionage campaign” that compromised several telecommunications businesses, confirming more information on assaults with substantial national security implications in a US officials stated on Wednesday
According to officials, the hackers gained access to the networks of several telecom providers in order to acquire call logs from customers and compromise the communications of a “limited number” of political and governmental figures.
According to the officials, the attackers also duplicated certain data that was the focus of demands from US law enforcement as a result of court orders.
“We expect our understanding of these compromises to grow as the investigation continues,” according to the officials. The statement did not identify the affected telecommunications companies.
The United States said the FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are working with possible victims and offering technical support on the issue.
A request for comment from the Chinese embassy in Washington was not immediately answered.
Among those compromised are AT&T and Verizon Communications, and according to a Wall Street Journal story from early October, the hackers may have gained access to networks the federal government utilizes for court-authorized network surveillance requests.
According to a source familiar with their opinions, US intelligence authorities believe the Chinese hacker group Microsoft Corp. named Salt Typhoon may have spent months inside US telecom businesses and discovered a way into an entry point for legally permitted monitoring.
The phones of former US President Donald Trump, running mate J.D. Vance, Trump family members, and members of US Vice-President Kamala Harris’ campaign team are thought to have been targeted by the hackers through those attacks, according to The New York Times.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, US investigators are still processing the attacks and do not yet have a complete picture. The insider stated that it will take time to ascertain the number of individuals targeted and to be certain that the United States has discovered all pertinent information.
According to the individual, those efforts are still in the investigative stage, and the image is still being built out.
Another person with knowledge of the situation said that US officials have informed dozens of organizations, including telecom firms, that they were singled out in the Salt Typhoon intrusions.
A third source acquainted with the situation claimed that smaller regional internet service providers have also been compromised, in addition to major telecom firms.
According to that individual, Salt Typhoon may be circumventing security measures by selecting which numbers to monitor using the wiretap system in order to obtain audio.
According to an aide with knowledge of the situation, US intelligence services provided classified briefings on the Salt Typhoon breach to congressional staff last week.
“This is as concerning to me as anything I’ve seen since coming here,” Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said.
According to a US State Department official, the interagency process alerted them of the Salt Typhoon attacks, which they had been aware of for weeks.
The hacks appear to be frightening because it is such a wide attack that could influence so many different sectors, the US official said, adding that the hacks are taking place on US soil and in a location where US officials believed they had secured telecommunications against adversaries.
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