6th January 2025 – (Washington) Chinese hackers, linked to a group known as Salt Typhoon, reportedly infiltrated U.S. telecommunications networks for 18 months, gathering data on more than 1 million individuals. This alarming breach, which began around mid-2023, involved major companies such as Verizon and AT&T, as well as systems used for court-sanctioned surveillance, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
The hackers allegedly accessed a specific telecommunications network for 18 months and another for six months, targeting calls and communications associated with high-profile figures, including President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The extensive breach has prompted officials and cybersecurity experts to assess the full scope of the intrusion. Reports indicate that the hackers focused particularly on telecommunications originating from Washington, DC, amassing a significant cache of IP addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive information.
Described by an unnamed senator as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history,” the breach has raised urgent concerns about national security. Following the identification of the cybercriminals, they reportedly altered their tactics, complicating efforts to locate and neutralise them. As of October, they were still embedded within some companies’ wiretap systems.
Despite the intrusion being public knowledge, the hackers employed tactics to disguise their activities, mimicking systems engineers to blend in with legitimate operations. Authorities eventually observed the hackers transferring stolen data globally, ultimately routed to China.
Chinese officials have denied involvement, with a spokesperson for the embassy in Washington accusing the US of fabricating narratives to undermine China’s reputation.
In response to the breach, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has convened meetings with key business leaders. Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon have claimed no evidence of foreign penetration in their systems, although many experts remain sceptical about the true extent of the breach.
Key US officials are now shifting to encrypted communication methods, such as private apps like Signal, to safeguard against similar attacks. Concerns have been voiced about the vulnerability of US telecommunications infrastructure, with Senator Dan Sullivan describing the situation as “shocking” during a recent Senate hearing.
Moreover, the Treasury Department reported that a state-backed Chinese actor had successfully breached some of its workstations, obtaining unclassified documents. This shift in focus from economic espionage to geopolitical cyberwarfare underscores the increasing sophistication of cyber threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
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