A ninth US telecoms firm has been confirmed to be part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations. The White House said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon.
Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said a ninth victim had been identified after guidance was released to companies on how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update is part of a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials and exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
The hackers compromised telecoms company networks to obtain customer call records and gain access to private communications of an unknown number of individuals, including senior US government officials and prominent political figures. While the FBI has not publicly identified any victims, officials believe many were targeted because they are involved in government or political activity.
Neuberger said the goal was to identify phone owners and spy on their texts and calls if they were deemed “government targets of interest.” The episode highlights the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/9th-telecoms-firm-hit-massive-chinese-espionage-campaign-117149251